Missouri’s Licensed Sports Betting Operators Open for Registration

Missouri sports betting will officially launch on Monday, Dec. 1, at midnight. 

Nine Operators Open For Account Registration

The Missouri Gaming Commission awarded temporary sports betting licenses to nine operators in October. The commission awarded two highly coveted untethered online sports betting licenses to DraftKings and Circa Sports. The two operators were selected by the commission for the untethered licenses, meaning they do not require a market access partner, in August. 

The remaining seven tethered licensed were awarded to the following operators:

• FanDuel
• BetMGM
• Caesars Sportsbook
• Bet365 
• Fanatics Sportsbook
• Underdog
• TheScore Bet

Each of the tethered sports betting license holders were required to arrange market access partnerships with either a Missouri professional sports franchise or brick-and-mortar casino. 

BetMGM announced a market access deal with Century Casinos in May, while bet365 announced a sports betting market access agreement with the St. Louis Cardinals this past March.

Caesars Sportsbook used its Caesars Entertainment owned Harrah’s Kansas City and Horseshoe St. Louis casinos for its market access as well.

FanDuel took advantage of its partnership with MLS team St. Louis CITY SC for its own license. 

Fanatics Sportsbook partnered with Boyd Gaming for market access while Underdog partnered with the Kansas City Royals. 

PENN Entertainment will enter Missouri through its owned and operated Hollywood Casino and River City Casino state locations. However, PENN Entertainment will have one major change to its sports betting plans as it moves forward in the Show-Me State. 

Big Change for PENN in Missouri

PENN Entertainment will no longer use its ESPN BET platform in Missouri, as PENN and ESPN recently agreed to cease its 10-year sports betting partnership after just two years. ESPN BET will close on Monday, Dec. 1, the same day Missouri launches its sports betting market. 

So, what should users do if they want to register now for theScore Bet?

PENN Entertainment has reported that it will automatically transfer all ESPN BET customers to its theScore Bet platform on Dec. 1. Users who register for ESPN BET will have their account information transferred automatically to theScore Bet on Dec. 1, and will not have to re-register an account. 

Accounts funds will also be automatically transferred.