Nine mobile sportsbooks submitted licensing requests ahead of an application deadline Friday, positioning each to start taking bets Dec. 1.
- Nine sportsbooks applied for Missouri sports betting licenses ahead of the Sept. 12 deadline.
- Major operators including DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars, BetMGM, ESPN BET, Fanatics, bet365, and Circa secured market access through casinos or teams.
- Missouri bettors will see a strong market, with operators handling 90%+ of U.S. legal bets.
Seven of the nine books, which include many of the U.S. national market share leaders, are now subject to further review by state regulators. The Missouri Gaming Commission said it expects to offer temporary licenses by next month.
MGC officials told Covers that prospective licensees must postmark their application by Sept. 12, meaning more could make the cut if their paperwork is received at a later date.
Dec. 1 is the earliest date regulators will permit mobile sportsbooks that applied before Friday’s deadline to start accepting wagers. Other books could apply but could have to wait until after the Dec. 1 start date to begin accepting wagers.
Several companies have also applied to open retail sportsbooks at Missouri casinos. Online wagering is expected to make up the vast majority of the Missouri sports betting handle.
Missouri sports betting license applicants
The nine sportsbooks that applied before Friday’s deadline include two that have already earned licensure.
DraftKings and Circa earned the state’s two “untethered” licenses last month. This allows each book to enter the state without having to partner with a casino or professional sports team for market access.
Caesars and ESPN BET had secured online sports betting market access through their respective parent companies’ operations of Missouri casinos. Both applied for mobile licenses and have announced plans to open retail books at their respective St. Louis and Kansas City area gaming properties.
FanDuel applied for a tethered mobile license after it missed out on one of the untethered offerings. It partnered with MLS team St. Louis CITY SC for market access.
Fanatics secured online market access via a partnership with Boyd Gaming. The company is positioned to operate retail books at Boyd’s Ameristar two properties, one each in the Kansas City and St. Louis metro areas.
Underdog, better known for its daily fantasy pick ‘em offerings, was one of the first companies to apply for a real-money sports betting license. It had not publicly announced its required market access partner as of Sept. 12.
NEW: Current list of Missouri mobile sports betting applicants that have applied ahead of today's deadline and could go live on the Dec. 1 launch, state regulators tell @covers:
— Ryan Butler (@ButlerBets) September 12, 2025
bet365
BetMGM
Circa*
Ceasars
DraftKings*
ESPN BET
Fanatics
FanDuel
Underdog
*Already earned license
BetMGM and bet365 were among the first companies to announce market access deals and the last to apply. BetMGM secured market access through Century Casinos while bet365 affiliated with MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals.
The ballot measure voters narrowly approved last year allows more applicants, though it is unclear if any will apply.
Bally Bet has market access through its parent company, Bally’s, which operates a Kansas City casino, but has not announced plans for a Missouri launch. Hard Rock and Chicago-based BetRivers both operate mobile sportsbooks in neighboring Illinois but did not apply before Friday’s deadline. Both would need to secure market access partnerships.
Missouri market future
Missouri bettors will have access to sportsbooks that currently accept more than 90% of legal bets placed in the U.S.
FanDuel and DraftKings accept roughly two-thirds of all legal betting handle nationwide and rank either No. 1 or No. 2 in all of the roughly two-dozen jurisdictions in which they operate. Each company told regulators during a licensing presentation that it expects similar results in Missouri.
Fanatics, BetMGM, Caesars and ESPN BET are all in more than 15 states and have built nationwide reputations off of hundreds of millions in marketing and promotions. They expect to spend millions more ahead and during the Missouri mobile launch later this year.
Circa, known for its high betting limits and “sharp” wagering action, has taken a different approach than the other nationwide books. It has spent far less on marketing and looks to attract customers not coveted – or even banned – by the major national brands, a key factor in Circa winning the untethered license over U.S. market share leader FanDuel.
Underdog’s sportsbook is only live in North Carolina. It has built its branding through free-to-play and peer-to-peer games offered across most of the country, including states without legal real money wagering.
