PENN Entertainment is set to open retail sportsbooks at both its Missouri properties, per recent company job postings. This is also a precursor, presumably, of the company’s plans to launch its mobile ESPN BET sportsbook statewide.
- PENN Entertainment is hiring for retail sportsbook managers at its two Missouri casinos, signaling plans to offer both in-person and mobile betting through ESPN BET.
- FanDuel and DraftKings lead the race for Missouri’s two untethered mobile licenses, while other major operators like bet365, BetMGM, and Underdog seek access through partnerships.
- Despite legal provisions for widespread in-person betting, only a few retail sportsbooks—including those at PENN casinos—are confirmed ahead of the Dec. 1 launch.
PENN is hiring sportsbook managers at its two Show-Me State Casinos, Hollywood Casino St. Louis and River City Casino, both in the St. Louis metro area. The job postings are the clearest indicator yet PENN intends to offer retail books at its two managed properties in the state.
Missouri’s 2024 constitutional amendment that legalized sports betting lets state casinos also partner with mobile sportsbooks. PENN seems poised to collaborate with one of two properties for market access for ESPN BET, the online sports betting platform it operates using the eponymous brand.
Missouri’s first online and retail books are set to start taking wagers Dec. 1. It will be the 39th U.S. state to accept legal sports bets.
More Missouri sports betting options
ESPN BET could join roughly a dozen mobile sportsbooks in Missouri.
FanDuel and DraftKings, the two U.S. sports betting leaders by market share, as well as Circa already applied for one of the state’s two “untethered” mobile licenses. These licenses don’t require a third-party sportsbook operator to partner with a Missouri brick-and-mortar casino or pro sports team and are awarded independently of the “tethered” licenses.
FanDuel and DraftKings, which combined have more than seven million monthly active users nationwide, are the heavy favorites to win the two untethered licenses. The Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) is required to weigh potential customer acquisition, revenue generation and marketing spend among other key requirements for licensing, which would give them a significant edge over Circa, which focuses on a small subset of avid bettors.
The MGC is scheduled to announce the two winners Aug. 15.
The sportsbook that doesn’t earn the untethered license can still partner with one of the state’s casinos or sports teams. The application deadline is September, with a formal announcement of all licensees expected from the MGC sometime before the Dec. 1 launch date.
PENN is hiring Sportsbook Managers at its River City and Hollywood Casinos near St Louis, per recent job postings, a clear sign it will open ESPN BET retail books at each property; company also has direct market access to launch ESPN BET mobile book in Missouri as early as Dec. 1
— Ryan Butler (@ButlerBets) August 5, 2025
bet365 announced a market access agreement with MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals earlier this year. BetMGM struck a similar deal with Century Casinos, which operates two Show-Me State gaming properties. MGM, which co-owns and operates BetMGM along with European gaming company Entain, doesn't manage a Missouri casino.
As of July, Underdog is the only other company that applied for a license or announced a partnership.
Along with PENN, Bally’s and Boyd Gaming also manage both Missouri casinos and in-house mobile sportsbook brands. This means Bally’s and Boyd’s respective eponymous online books are eligible for licenses, though it's unclear if either will go live. Bally Bet has less than 1% market share in its existing markets and Boyd Sportsbook is only available in Nevada.
Caesars operates three casinos in Missouri but funded a campaign to stop the 2024 ballot measure that legalized sports betting over concerns the enacting legislation put the company at a competitive disadvantage. Caesars hasn't made clear its sports betting plans in the state.
Fanatics, BetRivers and Hard Rock are among the leading U.S. sportsbooks that don’t share a company that operates a Missouri casino but could nevertheless pursue a license.
In-person sportsbook potential
Missouri law allows for more combined retail casino and in-stadium sportsbooks than any other state. It remains to be seen how many will actually take bets.
Four months before these books can accept wagers, the two PENN properties in the company’s job postings and a book next to the Cardinals’ Bush Stadium are the only announced in-person betting options. Century Casinos in its press release announcing the BetMGM market access deal said the agreement included the ability to open in-person books at its Missouri casinos, not that it planned to do so.
The state’s other casino operators haven't announced retail plans. None of the five other Missouri pro sports teams (MLB’s Kansas City Royals, the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, the NHL’s St. Louis Blues, MLS’ St. Louis City SC and the NWSL’s Kansas City Current) announced retail (or online) sportsbook partners.
Several retail books at the handful of stadiums in other states that permit in-person wagering closed, as have books at casinos. Online wagering now makes up more than 90% of bets placed, a figure that continues to grow each year as digital interfaces, betting options and payouts become increasingly convenient through mobile apps.
