Missouri’s plan to launch legal sports betting this summer has been delayed after Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected an emergency rulemaking request filed by the Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC). The decision, announced on February 21, means that regulators must follow the standard rulemaking process, effectively pushing the anticipated June launch to late summer or fall 2025.

Hoskins stated that the proposed emergency rules, which were submitted to Governor Mike Kehoe on January 27, did not meet the legal requirements for emergency approval.

Under Missouri law, emergency rulemaking can only be granted if there is “immediate danger to public health, safety, or welfare” or if the rule is necessary to “preserve a compelling governmental interest that requires an early effective date.” Hoskins determined that sports betting regulations did not meet these conditions, meaning they must proceed through the standard rulemaking process, which includes a public input period.

The MGC had initially targeted June 2025 as the market’s launch date, despite the state’s legal deadline requiring that wagering begin no later than December 1, 2025. Following Hoskins’ rejection, the MGC confirmed that its proposed licensing rules, which were filed alongside the emergency request, will become effective on August 30, 2025.

Washington’s Lottery announced that it has achieved the highest level of responsible gambling certification in the country. As acknowledged by the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) and the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL), Washington’s Lottery officially was certified for “Responsible Gambling Verification Best Practices at the Sustaining Level” in December 2024, the culmination of a process that began with certification at the Planning Level in 2019 and Implementation Level in 2021.

Washington’s Lottery is only the third state lottery in addition to Virginia and Ohio to achieve this milestone. NCPG and NASPL also recognize nine other state lotteries that have achieved a similar certification through the World Lottery Association.

“I can’t begin to express how proud I am of the work our team has done to achieve this important standard. We have a unique obligation as a state agency that sells a gambling product and need to balance the goal of raising money for important state initiatives like education with the need to acknowledge and assist the small percentage of players who may experience gambling-related distress. We take that work very seriously and weave it into all aspects of our jobs,” Kristi Weeks, Director of Legal Services for Washington’s Lottery, said.

To receive the Sustaining Level certification, Washington’s Lottery was evaluated by a team of four independent experts, who reviewed the lottery’s efforts in eight key categories related to responsible gambling: planning, employee training, retailer training, public education and awareness, product oversight, research, advertising, and resources.

“The key to our success has been the integration of responsible gambling initiatives into each and every employee’s position rather than centralizing it into only one or a few positions,” Weeks added.

Six payment providers have signed a Declaration of Commitment and Participation

In a pioneering move to bolster the integrity of Brazil’s newly regulated and rapidly expanding sports betting market, the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) today launched a dedicated Payment Provider Forum with the explicit goal of protecting the market from financial fraud related to competition manipulation. The project has launched with six prominent payment providers already signed up to a Declaration of Commitment and Participation: Bazk, Z.ro Bank, OneKey Payments, OKTO, VPag and Pay4Fun.

With IBIA’s members forecast to generate over 70% of remote gross gambling revenue in Brazil, IBIA will play a key role in protecting the integrity of the sports betting market. Payment providers and other related financial services can also play a crucial role in ensuring the integrity of sports betting. The IBIA Payment Provider Forum has therefore been established to foster collaborative activities that contribute to a robust, secure and responsible gambling market in Brazil.

Regulatory and other institutions linked to financial payments and competition manipulation will be invited to join Forum meetings and engage in the development and implementation of preventative actions against financial fraud.

The Forum will also benefit from IBIA’s extensive knowledge of sports betting integrity issues and trends, obtained from its global integrity monitoring and data intelligence network. That includes many of the world’s largest regulated betting operators, active across six continents, and partnerships with leading sports bodies and gambling regulatory authorities. It will also leverage IBIA’s expertise in establishing industry standards, such as its Data Standards Kitemark.

Khalid Ali, CEO at IBIA, said: “Cooperation between financial services, regulatory authorities and betting operators is essential to address the challenges from financial fraud and to maximise the potential of the sector in Brazil. IBIA is therefore delighted that these major payment institutions have agreed to explore collaborative activities to protect the market. Working together, we can create a sustainable and thriving sports betting market in Brazil that benefits all stakeholders. Cross-sector partnership working is a central pillar of IBIA’s global activity, and the association will be assessing the potential benefits of replicating this group in a wider international setting.”

To that end, the Declaration’s signatories have committed to:

• Collaborate in the development of standards and best practices for payment processing.
• Engage with regulatory bodies to defend a robust, fair and effective regulatory framework.
• Promote responsible gambling and consumer, market and sporting event protection.
• Share knowledge and expertise to innovate and improve the payments ecosystem.
• Maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct and compliance with regulations.

The first meeting of the Forum will take place during SBC Rio.