Summer sports betting in Missouri is moving closer to fruition. A draft of Missouri sports betting rules has been completed by the state’s gaming commission and has been forwarded to Gov. Mike Kehoe and Secretary of State Denny Hoskins for approval. Once the set of rules is green-lighted there, a 30-day public commentary period will open. Show Me State moving forward on timeline With the sports betting rules draft now in the governor’s possession, our partner site Legal Sports Report says Missouri is right on schedule. Last November, the state’s voters narrowly passed Amendment 2 to officially legalize sports wagering in the Show Me State. Two months later, Missouri Gaming Commission Chair Jan Zimmerman stated that a summer launch goal for sports betting was very much in play. The state has until Dec. 1 to officially go live, as specified in the amendment language.  “We got a gasp from the staff when we said we wanted to be (live by) mid to late summer, because it is so involved,” Zimmerman recently told Kansas City (Mo.) TV station KSHB. “That whole application process is really intensive and really takes a lot of work by the background investigators. It takes a lot of work by the people who are trying to be licensed, because they have to get us all this paperwork about their financial backgrounds and all that.  “We knew that even June was going to be really aggressive. The staff, they’ve been working nights and weekends and holidays to try and make sure that we can get it out there.” Framework provides for casino sportsbooks, 14 mobile betting apps  Amendment 2 stipulates that all 13 of the state’s physical casinos — all on or near the banks of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers — can each apply for licenses to operate sportsbooks. All six of Missouri’s professional sports franchises — the NFL’s Chiefs, MLB’s Royals and NWSL’s Current in Kansas City and the MLB’s Cardinals, NHL’s Blues and the MLS St. Louis City SC in St. Louis — can also operate sports -gambling “districts” around their home stadiums. Two additional mobile sports betting licenses, unaffiliated with the casinos, will also be granted. Those will most likely go to a pair of current U.S. industry giants such as DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM or Caesars. In all, the Missouri Gaming Commission can grant a maximum of 14 mobile sports betting licenses — possibly as soon as June. Missouri sports betting revenues will be subject to a 10 percent tax with proceeds going to public education and gambling addiction treatment. Missouri sports bettors at the ready Show Me State bettors are eager to get in on the action. After all, Missourians have had to travel to the neighboring states of Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee in recent years to place legal wagers on their favorite teams. The Chiefs, under coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, have established themselves as one of the league’s elite teams with five Super Bowl appearances and three championships over the last six years. Meanwhile, the Cardinals remain one of Major League Baseball’s most storied and well-supported franchises. And the Blues hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2019. There is current Show Me State success on the collegiate level as well as the University of Missouri has fielded nationally-ranked football and men’s basketball squads in their most-recent seasons.