ESPN BET is the latest of at least nine sportsbook applicants expected to apply for a Missouri sports betting license ahead of a key deadline.
- ESPN BET applied for a Missouri sports betting license ahead of the Sept. 12 deadline
- Launch is expected Dec. 1, when mobile sports betting goes live statewide
- Missouri’s sportsbook lineup is expanding, featuring major brands like DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, bet365
ESPN BET filed its application Tuesday, per state regulators, days ahead of the formal deadline Sept. 12. Eight other books have either applied or announced plans to do so.
Operated by PENN Entertainment via a branding deal with ESPN parent company Disney, the sportsbook is live in 19 states and Washington DC.
PENN announced Missouri launch plans during a recent earnings call. The company also plans to open retail sportsbooks at its three Missouri properties: Argosy Riverside near Kansas City as well as Hollywood St. Louis and River City casinos in the St. Louis metro area.
Missouri law requires all but two applicants to partner with either a state casino or a professional sports team for licensure eligibility. ESPN BET had market access via its casino properties.
ESPN BET, and all other Missouri mobile sports betting applicants, are expected to launch Dec. 1, the first date they are legally able to do so. The company has not specified opening plans for the in-person books, but a temporary betting window and/or betting kiosks could start taking bets on the Dec. 1 date as well.
Missouri will be the only state to begin legal sports betting this calendar year. It will be 39th to offer some form of regulated sports betting and the 31st to allow statewide mobile wagering.
Growing Missouri sportsbook lineup
ESPN BET is set to join an increasingly deep roster of legal sportsbooks in the Show Me State.
DraftKings, the No. 2 U.S. sportsbook in nationwide market share, has already secured one of the two “untethered” licenses, which allowed it to enter the state without having to partner with a casino or sports team. Circa Sportsbook, a smaller operator known for catering to “sharp” bettors, earned the other untethered license.
FanDuel, the No. 1 operator by market share, lost out to Circa for one of the two untethered licenses but secured market access via a partnership with St. Louis CITY SC of MLS. State law permits it to operate a retail sportsbook within or adjacent to the team’s home stadium but it has not announced plans to do so.
Fanatics, which has earned No. 3 market share in several states, secured market access through Boyd Casinos, which operates Ameristar properties in the St. Louis and Kansas areas. It’s set to open retail books at both properties.
BetMGM operator MGM does not manage a casino in Missouri but partnered with Century Casinos for market access. It is set to open a retail book at Century’s Cape Girardeau property.
Caesars operates three casinos, tied with PENN for the most in the state. It has market access for its Caesars mobile sportsbook through these operations and is poised to open retail books at its Harrah’s Kansas City, Horseshoe St. Louis, and Isle of Capri (Boonville) properties.
bet365 was among the first mobile sportsbooks to announce a market access deal, securing a partnership with MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals in May. bet365 does not operate any retail books, though it is eligible to do so in the Cardinals' Busch Stadium or the accompanying Ballpark Village in downtown St. Louis.
Underdog was the ninth company to apply for a mobile sports betting license. It has not announced its market access partner.
Hard Rock and BetRivers, which both operate mobile sportsbooks in neighboring Illinois, are among the other national brands that could potentially apply for a license ahead of the Sept. 12 deadline.
Bally’s is the only other Missouri casino operator that has direct market access for its mobile sports betting platform. It has not announced launch plans in the state.
