Most of the usual suspects are primed to enter Missouri’s upcoming sports betting market from the off after the Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) handed out a raft of temporary licenses on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
The MGC confirmed by email that it has given the green light to the following seven operators:
- bet365
- BetMGM
- Caesars
- Fanatics
- FanDuel
- PENN Entertainment
- Underdog
“These temporary licenses will allow companies to test systems and equipment and make any necessary preparations needed before launching sports wagering on Dec. 1,” said the MGC’s Public Relations Coordinator Liz Hoffman.
Those operators join DraftKings and Circa Sports, which were awarded the two available untethered operator licenses in mid-August, with small book Circa beating out FanDuel in what some regarded as an unexpected decision.
While preparations are underway for those nine sportsbooks, some other notable brand names such as BetRivers and Hard Rock Bet are missing from the list. A Rush Street Interactive (RSI) representative told SBC Americas last month that it is not planning to launch BetRivers in Missouri at this time.
Missouri’s sports betting law allows the MGC to hand out up to 19 retail sports betting licenses and up to 14 online sports betting licenses.
Sportsbooks name their dance partners
Other than Caesars and ESPN Bet parent PENN, which have access through their own existing brick-and-mortar casinos in Missouri, the other sportsbooks awarded temporary licenses all had to partner with either an in-state casino or sports team to offer sports wagering in the Show-Me State via a tethered license.
FanDuel teamed up with Major League Soccer team St. Louis City in August, immediately after the untethered license verdict. The St. Louis Cardinals struck a partnership with bet365 in March, BetMGM penned a deal with Century Casinos in May, Fanatics confirmed a collaboration with Boyd Gaming in August and Underdog announced a multi-year partnership with the Kansas City Royals in late September.
The MGC list shown to SBC Americas suggests that Caesars, PENN and Fanatics have all been approved for retail betting as well as digital. The BetMGM-partnered Century Casino Cape Girardeau has also been approved, and Century’s announcement of its Missouri deal with BetMGM suggested retail sportsbook options could be “exercised at Century’s discretion.”
No shortage of suppliers
BetMGM, bet365 and PENN are listed as recipients of separate suppliers’ licenses as well as operators’ licenses.
Other companies approved to offer their various services to operators in Missouri include:
- Kambi
- Gaming Laboratories International (GLI)
- GeoComply
- The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA)
- Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360)
- Genius Sports
- BMM Testlabs
- SIS Content Services
- Swish Analytics
- Catalist Sports
The licensees can now ramp up their preparations for Missouri’s market launch, which is slated for Dec. 1. The MGC says it will issue formal permanent licenses in the next few weeks. Sportsbooks that get all the green lights will be able to start taking deposits from Missouri bettors on Nov. 17.
