Missouri Casino Guide
Facts About Gambling & Online Casinos in Missouri
While Missouri welcomes gambling, Chapter 572 of the Missouri Statutes also states that gambling must be done in legally. Players must play in casinos that are licensed by the state. If a company is not licensed by Missouri, as is the case of Missouri online casinos licensed in another country, it becomes illegal gambling. Currently, only the Missouri lottery, betting on horses, riverboat casinos, and charitable raffles, bingo games, and lotteries are legal.
While there are currently no known cases of Missouri cracking down on people who play in online casinos in Missouri, penalties for gambling in unauthorized casinos are as high as four years in jail and fines of $5,000. However, the state also has more than a dozen casinos that welcome players 21 and older, so options are not limited.
History of Gambling in Missouri
As many neighboring states started opening casinos in the late-1980s and early-1990s, Missouri began considering changing their own laws regarding gambling. By 1994, the law passed stating that no more than 13 riverboat casinos could open within the state. The first two establishments were licensed in May 1994. Since then, the casino industry in Missouri has thrived. Since then, average revenues, after prizes are paid out, come to about $654 million per year.
Age Restrictions for Gambling in Missouri
If you’re planning to play in casinos in Missouri, you have to be at least 21 years of age. The only games those who are 18 or older can play are state lotteries or horse betting.
Missouri’s Casino Gambling Outlook
At the time of this writing, there are no proposed changes to Missouri’s casino laws. The industry remains steady with the 13 legal casinos doing very well. In time, however, Missouri may have to address the laws to consider legalizing online casinos.
Local Casinos
Ameristar – Ameristar has two casinos in Missouri. The first is in Kansas City, while the second is in St. Charles. You’ll find video poker, slot machines, and poker rooms in Ameristar casinos.
Argosy Riverside – Located in Riverside, a suburb north of Kansas City, this casino resort is home to more than 1,400 slot machines and a number of table games.
Harrah’s – Harrah’s is another Kansas City casino, this time located in the northern part of the city. There are well over 1,500 video slots, poker games, and table games here.
Hollywood Casino St. Louis – Maryland Heights, a suburb of St. Louis, is home to the Hollywood Casino. The casino offers a poker room, close to 60 table games, well over 2,000 slot machines, and an Asian game room with games like Pai Gow Poker.
Isle of Capri – Isle of Capri has three casinos in Missouri. One is in Boonville, one in Kansas City, and the third, Isle Casino, is in Cape Girardeau. Each casino has a mix of hundreds of video poker machines, slot machines, and then a number of table games.
Lady Luck Casino – Situated in Caruthersville, a town in the southeastern tip of Missouri, Lady Luck Casino is close to Memphis, Tennessee, and Jonesboro, Arkansas. The Missouri casino is host to 11 table games and more than 500 video poker and slot machines.
Mark Twain Casino – La Grange, home of the Mark Twain Casino, is a smaller city on the northern Illinois border. This Missouri casino houses about 600 slots and video poker machines, as well as a number of table games.
Lumiere Place – One of the three St. Louis Casinos, Lumiere Place is a hotel and casino that’s located a few blocks north of the Gateway Arch. Players coming to this casino in Missouri will find 60 table games, a poker room with 13 tables, and over 1,700 video slots.
River City Casino – River City Casino sits adjacent to the Mississippi in the southern end of St. Louis. This expansive casino resort is home to more than 2,000 slot machines, a poker room, and many table games.
St. Jo Frontier Casino – Located in St. Joseph, St. Jo Frontier Casino sits very close to the border between Kansas and Missouri. There are more than 550 video slots and video poker machines in this establishment.