Starting Monday, Missourians could legally bet on sports either using mobile apps or by going in person to casinos.
At a sparsely populated Horseshoe Casino in downtown St. Louis on Monday afternoon, the Caesars Sportsbook was mostly deserted. But St. Louis resident Rick Porter braved the snow to place a bet in person. He was already at the casino to play poker nearby.
Porter was wagering on Monday night's Giants-Patriots game.
"When you're watching the game, it gives you something to cheer for," Porter said.
He said he has driven across the river to Illinois several times to place bets, and he is glad he doesn't have to do that anymore.
Former St. Louis Rams wide receiver Isaac Bruce bet on the same game at a DraftKings event Monday, picking the Patriots to win.
Bruce said betting can add another layer of emotion to sports for fans and athletes but advised that his fellow athletes stay focused on the game and ignore any extra pressure that might come from the betting.
"We talk often about ignoring the outside noise," Bruce said. "So being focused on what's going on in your locker room, the way you play and your mission is to go out and win and perform and become a better player."
DraftKings is one of two platforms that received an untethered license from the Missouri Gaming Commission, meaning it does not have to partner with a sports team or a casino. However, it does have a partnership with the St. Louis Blues. The other untethered license went to Circa Sports.
People can place bets electronically and at casinos around the state on several other platforms as well.
DraftKings Chief Responsible Gaming Officer Lori Kalani said she is committed to preventing problem gambling. She said she implemented a new tool called My Stat Sheet, which allows users to view a personalized dashboard that includes time and money spent on the platform.
"We develop these tools because good experiences start with responsible decisions," Kalani said.
Missouri Speaker of the House Jon Patterson, R-Lee's Summit, who was in St. Louis at the DraftKings event, said much of the tax revenue from legal sports betting in the state is expected to go to public schools.
"That will help public school students get their education, have access to the help that they need, and it will help public schools," Patterson said. "As a father of public school students, I think that's one of the things that we really have to highlight here today."
However, it's unclear how much revenue schools will get.
According to the Missouri Gaming Commission, a 10% tax will be applied on the adjusted gross revenue received by sports betting. That revenue will first go to the commission to reimburse expenses incurred by regulating sports wagering.
Afterward, the greater of either $5 million or 10% of the annual tax revenues will go to the Missouri Department of Mental Health to address compulsive gambling.
The remainder of the money collected by the state will go to the Missouri Department of Education.
Missouri Gaming Commission Chairwoman Jan Zimmerman said it's too soon to predict the revenue the state will see, but there are initial estimates of $20 million to $28 million.
See more photos from the first day of Missouri legal sports gambling by St. Louis Public Radio's visuals editor Brian Munoz.
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