KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Missouri sports betting officially launched with the opening of new sportsbooks across Missouri, allowing bettors to place wagers or through mobile apps from home.

The launch ends the practice of Missouri residents driving to Kansas to place sports bets, a common sight along Interstate 435 where bettors would cross state lines to use their phones to place bets legally.

“I just think it’s funny every time I come out here, I see people parked on the highway, under the bridge,” said Frankie Circello, a bettor.

Before Missouri’s launch, bettors described their weekend routines of traveling to Kansas.

“Mostly just on the weekends,” said Corey Gilbert about his previous betting trips.

John Barman said his Kansas visits were “probably an every weekend kind of thing.

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