A report published in early March 2026 by the Center for Addiction Science, Policy, and Research gave Missouri and Kansas failing grades on sports betting consumer protections, ranking both among the worst US states in the assessment. The findings have drawn attention as Missouri’s market completes its first quarter under Amendment 2.
The center released its state-by-state report card on March 4, 2026, evaluating sports betting regulations against criteria covering addiction prevention, loss limits, bankruptcy protection, and overall consumer safeguards.
Why Missouri and Kansas failed
According to KCUR’s coverage of the report, the failing grades cited several specific gaps:
- Constant access to online betting without meaningful session or daily limits
- Lack of mandatory loss limits at the state level
- Weak addiction prevention infrastructure
- No bankruptcy prevention protections built into the regulatory framework
The Beacon News, which also reported on the assessment, noted that no state earning a passing grade had implemented online sports betting in its current form. The report’s authors emphasized that the only states earning A’s were states that hadn’t legalized online betting at all.
What this means for Missouri bettors
The findings don’t mean Missouri lacks all responsible gambling tools. Every licensed operator (DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, bet365, Fanatics, Circa Sports, theScore Bet) provides operator-level deposit limits, wager limits, time limits, and self-exclusion options through their apps. The Missouri Gaming Commission also runs a state-level self-exclusion program.
What the report criticizes is that these tools are largely opt-in. A bettor who wants protection can find it. A bettor who doesn’t seek it out — or doesn’t realize they need it — won’t encounter mandatory limits at the state level the way some other gambling regulatory frameworks impose.
Connection to Missouri’s tax revenue shortfall
The timing of the report intersects with another Missouri sports betting story: the constitutional amendment voters approved in 2024 set aside the first $5 million in annual tax revenue for the Compulsive Gaming Prevention Fund. Through Missouri’s first four months of legal betting, the state has collected approximately $3.6 million in total tax revenue — meaning the prevention fund hasn’t yet been fully funded for fiscal year 2026.
The Missouri Independent has reported that the prevention fund may not see meaningful inflows until at least the next fiscal year, depending on how operator promotional deductions trend through the rest of the year.
What’s available right now
Despite the report’s criticism, Missouri bettors who want protection have several options:
- State self-exclusion program — administered by the Missouri Gaming Commission. Once enrolled, all licensed Missouri operators are required to refuse the bettor’s business for the period selected (1 year, 5 years, or lifetime).
- Operator deposit/wager/loss limits — set in each app’s settings. Limits are user-controlled and can be set by day, week, or month.
- Cooling-off periods — temporarily lock your account for 1 day to 6 weeks at most operators.
- National Council on Problem Gambling helpline — 1-800-GAMBLER, available 24/7.
- Missouri Helpline — 1-888-BETS-OFF, free and confidential.
For a full breakdown of available protections and how to enroll in self-exclusion, see our responsible gambling guide.
What might change
State-level mandatory protections (loss limits, session limits) would require either legislative action by the Missouri General Assembly or new rulemaking by the Missouri Gaming Commission. Industry advocacy groups including the National Council on Problem Gambling have called for stricter regulatory standards across all US states with legal sports betting; how Missouri specifically responds remains to be seen.
For Missouri bettors today, the practical advice is straightforward: set your own limits before betting, not after a bad week. Operator-level tools work even when state-level mandates don’t exist.