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How a 2018 Supreme Court decision paved the way for meteoric growth in legal sports bettingWASHINGTON (AP) — A 2018 Supreme Court decision opened the floodgates to legalized sports-betting industry, now worth billions of dollars a year, even as it recognized that the decision was controversial.That high-court ruling is back in the spotlight after the arrests on Thursday of more than 30 people, including an NBA player and coach, in two cases alleging sprawling criminal schemes to rake in millions by rigging sports bets and poker games involving Mafia families.What did the Supreme Court decide?The court's ruling struck down a 1992 federal law, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, that had barred betting on football, basketball, baseball and other sports in most states.Justice Samuel Alito wrote in his majority opinion that the way Congress went about the gambling ban, barring states from authorizing sports betting, violated the Constitution’s Tenth Amendment, which protects the power of states.“The legalization of sports gambling requires an important policy choice, but the choice is not ours to make,” Alito wrote. The court’s “job is to interpret the law Congress has enacted and decide whether it is consistent with the Constitution. PASPA is not.”The trouble with the law, Alito explained, was that Congress did not make betting on sports a federal crime. Instead, it prohibited states from authorizing legalized gambling, improperly infringing on their authority. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Anthony Kennedy, Neil Gorsuch and Elena Kagan joined Alito’s opinion.Dissenting justices said the court should have acted more narrowlyJustice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote that even if the part of the law regulating the states’ behavior should be struck down, the rest of it should have survived. In particular, Ginsburg wrote that a separate provision that applied to private parties and betting schemes should have been left in place.Writing for Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer, Ginsburg said that when a portion of a law violates the Constitution, the court “ordinarily engages in a salvage rather than a demolition operation,” preserving what it can. She said that instead of using a “scalpel to trim the statute” her colleagues used “an axe.” Breyer agreed with the majority that part of the law must be struck down but said that should not have doomed the rest of the law.But Alito, in his majority opinion, wrote that Congress did not contemplate treating the two provisions separately.Opponents of gambling warned about corruptionSenator Bill Bradley of New Jersey, a former college and NBA star, was a sponsor of the law that he said was needed to protect against “the dangers of sports betting.”All four major U.S. professional sports leagues and the NCAA had urged the court to uphold the federal law, saying a gambling expansion would hurt the integrity of their games. They also said that with legal sports betting in the United States, they’d have to spend a lot more money monitoring betting patterns and investigating suspicious activity.The Trump administration also called for the law to be upheld.Alito acknowledged in his majority opinion “the legalization of sports gambling is a controversial subject,” in part for its potential to “corrupt professional and college sports.”He included references to the “Black Sox Scandal,” the fixing of the 1919 World Series by members of the Chicago White Sox, and the point-shaving scandal of the early 1950s that rocked college basketball.But ultimately, he wrote, Congress couldn’t require states to keep sports gambling prohibitions in place.

Key PointsCirca Sports plans to launch on December 1, 2025 in MissouriCirca is one of only two sportsbooks with a direct untethered mobile license that allows statewide access without a casino partnerAlthough there’s no pre-launch bonus, Circa Sports emphasizes high betting limits and lower vigMissouri’s current stand on legal sports bettingRight now, sports betting is legal in Missouri, but you can’t place real bets yet. So if you’re part of the numerous players asking, When will Circa Sportsbook be legal in Missouri, here’s your answer: The Missouri Gaming Commission is still in the process of getting everything set up after the passage of Amendment 2 in late 2024. Based on that law, the MGC awarded up to 14 gambling licenses to both online mobile sportsbooks and physical betting sites at casinos, all of which will finally launch in December. The amendment also forces a 10% tax on gambling revenue to benefit gambling-prevention programs.Of these 14, only two sportsbooks received direct mobile licenses, meaning they’re the only ones that can operate in the state without a physical casino partner. Interestingly, Circa is one of them and that could be a big deal for online users in December when the market goes live. Many bettors are also curious about other options, asking questions like “Is Hard Rock Bet legal in Missouri?” For now, no other platform is active yet, but Missouri has laid the legal foundation, and operators are completing compliance checks to meet the launch date.How Circa Sports fits inAs mentioned earlier, Circa is one of the two operators in Missouri to get a direct untethered license, which allows it to reach all bettors in the state from day one. The only other sportsbook that can do this is DraftKings.However, Circa Sports has already made a name for itself because it offers high betting limits and competitive odds. So it’s best for bettors who want to place larger wagers or compare a variety of odds across multiple events.Considering all this, here’s what has happened already for the Circa Sportsbook Missouri launch:Circa won one of the two untethered licenses on August 15, 2025The MGC has reviewed the platform’s finances, operations and compliance historyThe state published regulations for direct mobile licensesThe platform aims to go live on December 1, 2025 pending final approvalsAre there any pre-launch Circa promo offers?Despite the numerous offers from many of the best Missouri betting sites about to launch, Circa Sports has not announced a bonus offer for bettors. However, since this platform has always stood out from its competitors, this lack of a promo offer and code could be an intentional strategy. The sportsbook is popular for high limits and lower vig, so it doesn’t particularly need a large bonus to draw in serious bettors. We’d like to see how this plays out in the long run.Hits & missesPros & ConsAppeals to high-stakes bettorsLicensed and regulated by the MGCCompetitive odds will be made availableDedicated mobile appNo confirmed pre-launch bonus yetWhat you should do before the launch of Circa SportsIt’s important to know if you can use Circa Sportsbook in Missouri ahead of time. That’s why we suggest you start getting ready now, before the platform eventually launches within the state in December. With pre-registration open and the launch date on the horizon, here are some moves you can make early. Don’t forget that you must be of the right gambling age in Missouri to participate:Sign up early between November 17 and 30 during this ongoing pre-launch windowHave your government-issued identity documents ready to avoid delays in the verification process laterStart preparing your bankroll from now onFill out the form on the official site with your basic information to get instant news about the platformGet familiar with the platform’s responsible gambling toolsStay alert for any last-minute pre-launch promos from Circa SportsWrap-up: Countdown to a new chapter with Circa SportsThe December launch of Circa Sports offers Missouri bettors a unique opportunity to enjoy high maximum wagers and a mobile app built for value. Sure, there may not be a pre-launch bonus, but based on its reputation, the sportsbook will still offer competitive odds to make it a strong choice for casual and experienced bettors. Also, answering questions like “Is Circa Sportsbook available in Missouri?” ensures you can complete pre-registration and other necessary steps now.If you don’t want to miss out, you should start preparing for the launch and monitor any last-minute updates. Tap the link in the banner now to get your account ready for the first day of betting action.