Ahead of Missouri launching commercial online sports betting later this year, bet365 has positioned itself to take a big swing in the Show-Me State by partnering with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The MLB franchise announced on Monday that the team and the British sportsbook have entered into a multi-year marketing partnership that makes bet365 the Cardinals’ first ever official sports betting partner.
In doing so, bet365 has gained access to a license to operate mobile sports betting in the state. Every Missouri-based sports team can offer online sports betting through a sportsbook partner under the new state law.
Via the new deal, bet365 will be able to advertize on Cardinals radio broadcasts, the Cardinals Insider TV show, cardinals.com and via signage at the ballpark that will be visible on television broadcasts. bet365 will also sponsor the team’s starting lineups at Busch Stadium and has been given naming rights to the stadium’s ticketed bet365 Bridge seating and hospitality deck.
“bet365 is proud to announce our partnership with the St. Louis Cardinals, one of the most storied franchises in Major League Baseball. We are excited to bring a world-class mobile sports betting experience to the Show-Me-State,” said a bet365 spokesperson said in the MLB release.
“We are thrilled to welcome bet365 as the club’s official mobile sports betting partner,” added Bill DeWitt III, Cardinals president. “This partnership adds a new and exciting element to the fan experience which can be activated at Busch Stadium or any place that fans watch and follow Cardinals baseball.”
Cardinals had been vociferous supporter of legalization
In the Cardinals, bet365 has gained not only a license but a sports team partner that was a vocal and financial supporter of legalizing online sports betting in Missouri.
The baseball team advocated for sports wagerign to go a referendum, along with other pro sports teams in the state such as Super Bowl runners-up the Kansas City Chiefs, the St. Louis Blues NHL team, the Kansas City Royals MLB team and the St. Louis City and Kansas City Current soccer teams.
Days before the November election, the Cardinals and several other of those teams each donated $333,333.33 to the Winning for Missouri Education campaign. That campaign received around $45 million from donors before election day, the vast majority of which was pledged by U.S. sports betting market leaders FanDuel and DraftKings.
The Cardinals were also a member of the Missouri Sports Betting Alliance, the group supporting a “yes” vote on sports betting. The Missouri SBA signed up Cardinals legend Ozzie Smith to help appeal to voters and sports fans.
FanDuel and DraftKings are sure bets to join bet365 in Missouri, and BetMGM has a prior deal with the Chiefs.
bet365 now at 13 states after March double launch
Missouri is currently on track to be bet365’s 14th state of operation after it expanded its reach from 11 to 13 in the space of a couple of days earlier this month.
It began taking bets in neighboring Illinois on March 13 and also went live in Tennessee on March 16. The sportsbook is also live in fellow Missouri border states including Indiana, Iowa and Kentucky.
Exactly when Missouri will open its doors, and whether bet365 will choose to jump straight in from day one, is not yet certain. Missouri state law dictates that the new market must launch by Dec. 1, 2025.
