A bettor-favorite mobile sportsbook is set to go live in Missouri with a revamped app on the state’s universal launch date.
Key Takeaways
- Circa Sportsbook will launch in Missouri on Dec. 1 with a revamped app featuring a universal wallet and expanded betting menu.
- The update continues Circa’s low-hold, pro-bettor model that the sportsbook says differentiates it from FanDuel and DraftKings.
- Missouri’s Dec. 1 universal launch is set to include at least eight other sportsbooks.
Circa Sportsbook is set to start accepting bets at 12:01 a.m. local time Dec. 1, CEO Derek Stevens told Covers last week. The launch will bring an updated app that includes expanded wagering options and a universal wallet between Circa states.
The revamped Circa app launched in Iowa earlier in October. Stevens said a Colorado update with further enhancements will come in November, and a “version 3.0” is set for the Missouri launch Dec. 1. An expected Illinois update is scheduled for early 2026.
“This allows us to keep our costs down and increase our betting menu,” Stevens said.
Circa expands
Since launching in Nevada in 2020, Circa has built its reputation among high-volume bettors for posting universal wagering minimums and accepting winning bettors. Circa has stood out from other major operators, including FanDuel and DraftKings, that have significantly more handle but a betting model that limits or bans winners.
Circa topped U.S. market share leader FanDuel for one of Missouri’s two “untethered” licenses that allowed third-party mobile sportsbooks to enter the market without partnering with an in-state casino or professional sports team. Stevens said his pitch of attracting a different customer base from the two U.S. handle leaders won over state regulators.
“I figured the only way we had a chance was to kind of differentiate, and I focused on the fact that those two companies are exactly the same and we're different,” Stevens said. “To the good or the bad, we're different in one way, in that we're much smaller. We're different in a manner that I think that we are far better for a Missouri citizen in that we give a greater opportunity.”
Securing the untethered license saves Circa millions of dollars in annual partnership fees, which Stevens said will help the company maintain its industry-low hold percentage. DraftKings and FanDuel told state regulators when applying for the license they expected hold percentages greater than 10%; Stevens said Circa averages less than 5%.
Circa’s business model eschews widespread individual player prop bet parlays increasingly embraced by the market share leaders. Stevens told Covers he expects the new app’s tech platform will allow prop bets on more players but said he doesn’t want wagers offered beyond starters or key bench players.
Missouri bettors will have this updated platform, Stevens said, but with Circa continuing to focus on building a platform that welcomes all bettors.
“We’re going to run our low-hold model, and the people in Missouri are going to get the benefit of that.”
Crowded Missouri sportsbook field
Circa is set to join at least eight other sportsbooks going live on Missouri’s Dec. 1 universal launch date.
DraftKings, the No. 2 U.S. sportsbook by market share, earned the other untethered license. Combined with FanDuel, the pair of books told Missouri regulators they expect to take more than two-thirds of all bets placed in the state.
FanDuel partnered with MLS club St. Louis CITY SC for market access. bet365 partnered with MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals and Underdog will work with MLB’s Kansas City Royals for mobile sportsbook access.
Caesars and ESPN BET operator PENN Entertainment had market access through their management of Missouri casinos. BetMGM (Century Casinos) and Fanatics (Boyd Gaming) also secured online market access via brick-and-mortar casino partnerships.
Third-party tech provider Kambi also applied for a mobile sports betting license. It has not publicly announced if it plans to launch a business-to-consumer platform or work with a third-party operator, nor has it given indication if it will take bets in any capacity Dec. 1.
Caesars expects to open retail books Dec. 1 at its Kansas City and St. Louis properties. Boyd is set to open Fanatics-branded books at or around that same time at its two casinos in the state’s major metros, while PENN expects to open ESPN BET books at all three of its managed facilities. BetMGM will open a retail book at Century’s casino in Cape Girardeau.
None of the professional sports teams have so far announced plans to open retail books at their respective home venues as permitted by state law.
