Bet365, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, Circa Sports, DraftKings, Fanatics Sportsbook, FanDuel, Kambi, Penn Entertainment (ESPN Bet), and Underdog were issued temporary retail and/or digital sports betting licenses by the Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) late Wednesday. The MGC has plans to launch live sports betting Dec. 1. Operators who have been issued temporary licenses will be able in the coming weeks to test systems and equipment ahead of launch, per the MGC.
Every operator who applied before the Sept. 12 deadline was approved. In addition, key suppliers, including BMM Test Labs, Gaming Laboratories International, Genius Sports, GeoComply, and Integrity Compliance 360 were also on the approved temporary license list.
The Missouri launch will be the first in the U.S. since North Carolina in March 2024. No U.S. state legalized sports betting in 2025, and Missouri will become the 33rd U.S. jurisdiction to offer legal digital betting.
Missouri voters barely legalized sports betting via ballot initiative in November 2024, and the MGC has been crafting regulations and preparing for launch since. The new law allows for up to 21 digital platforms, including two untethered, and 19 tied to either existing casinos or a qualified professional sports team. Each casino is also entitled to have an in-person sportsbook.
A look at market access
DraftKings and Circa Sports in August were awarded the untethered licenses. The other five approved licensees have market access via retail partners:
- bet365 (St. Louis Cardinals)
- BetMGM (Century Casinos)
- Caesars Sportsbook (Caesars Resorts)
- ESPN Bet (Penn Entertainment)
- Fanatics Sportsbook (Boyd Gaming)
- FanDuel (MLS St. Louis SC)
- Kambi (unknown)
- Underdog (Kansas City Royals)
Bet365, Circa, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog do not have plans to operate retail sportsbooks, and it is unclear what entity Kambi will be providing back-end systems to. Of the remaining licensees, BetMGM will operate a physical casino at Century’s Cape Girardeau location, Penn and Caesars each own two retail casinos, and Fanatics has plans for sportsbooks at two Boyd Gaming locations.
In total, the MGC reported that it had received more than 1,100 applications for operators, suppliers, and vendors. In addition, the commission must vet applications for “key individuals,” usually those with a more than 5% stake in a company, as well as certain other employees.
Though Underdog last week announced a marketing partnership with the St. Louis Blues, the NHL team is not partnering with any entity for a sportsbook. The NFL Kansas City Chiefs also have not announced a market-access partner.
