Missouri's Sports Betting Launch Will See theScore Bet Replace ESPN BET

Missouri’s sportsbook lineup has changed before legal wagering begins.

theScore Bet will replace ESPN BET when the state’s first regulated mobile and retail sportsbooks begin taking bets Dec. 1. Parent company PENN Entertainment made the switch after it announced it was ending its licensing deal with ESPN earlier this month.

The switchover is subject to regulatory approvals, but PENN expects theScore Bet to be live, along with eight other books, at 12:01 a.m. local time for the launch.

More theScore Bet details

theScore Bet will take over branding from ESPN BET after PENN and ESPN parent Disney ended their decade-long branding deal, initially signed in 2023, after only two years. ESPN BET had low single-digit market share entering the 2025 football season, falling short of original projections of a 20% share.

PENN said it acquired nearly 3 million users through its ESPN partnership, all of whom will have their accounts transferred to theScore Bet. All ESPN BET registration information, futures bets, and account balances will be available on the updated theScore Bet.

Company executives said during a corporate earnings call last week the app will have the same interface and bet offerings as the ESPN BET platform, just with theScore Bet branding.

Best known as a regional casino operator, PENN spent more than $500 million in 2020 to acquire Barstool Sports to brand its online sportsbook. The company spent another $2 billion in 2021 to buy Ontario-based theScore media company and its in-house sports betting tech platform to power both theScore Bet and Barstool Sportsbook.

Latest projected Missouri online sportsbooks for Dec. 1 launch:

bet365
BetMGM
Caesars
Circa
DraftKings
Fanatics
FanDuel
theScore Bet
Underdog

— Ryan Butler (@ButlerBets) November 11, 2025

PENN shuttered theScore Bet in the U.S. shortly after the acquisition to focus on the Barstool brand, which was better known in the country. Barstool Sportsbook also struggled to compete against U.S. market-share leaders such as FanDuel and DraftKings, leading PENN to sell Barstool back to founder Dave Portnoy for $1 in early 2023.

By leaving the ESPN deal and the accompanying $150 million in annual payments to use the company’s brand, PENN said it had freed up resources to use on promoting its in-house platform for its coming U.S. relaunch. theScore's media app has around 4 million monthly active users across the U.S. and Canada.

The company also operates Hollywood iCasino.

“Our OSB (online sports betting) offerings will continue to provide a top of funnel cross-sell opportunity for our Hollywood-branded iCasino, which will remain integrated into our OSB product offering in states where legal, in addition to serving as a standalone iCasino app,” the company wrote in a press release announcing the end of the ESPN partnership.

Missouri sports betting market

theScore Bet will launch alongside a crowded field of Missouri sports betting competitors.

FanDuel and DraftKings officials told state regulators they expect to be the top two operators by market share in Missouri, as they are in the other roughly two dozen states where they both operate. Combined, the two companies have roughly 75% of the nationwide handle and revenue market share.

They will be joined by other major national brands, including BetMGM, Caesars, Fanatics, and bet365. Circa, a sportsbook catering to “sharp” bettors available in a handful of states, will also go live Dec. 1. Underdog, better known for its fantasy pick’em offerings, is also set to launch its mobile sportsbook in Missouri, its second sports betting state after North Carolina.

PENN had announced plans to open ESPN BET-branded retail sportsbooks at its three brick-and-mortar Missouri casinos. The company did not disclose alternate plans for retail books, but they will presumably include theScore Bet brand.

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