Missouri Sports Betting Pool Includes Three Bids for Two Untethered Licenses
Next month, the Missouri sports betting licenses for completely remote concessions unaffiliated with a casino or professional sports venue will be given out. For the two available permits, the Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) attests to receiving three bids.
The two mobile sportsbook licenses made available by Amendment 2, a statewide ballot referendum that changed the Missouri Constitution to permit gambling on professional and collegiate sports, were applied for early by FanDuel and DraftKings, according to the state gaming regulator. In the election held in November 2024, Amendment 2 was approved by less than 3,000 votes.
Circa Sports entered their offer alongside DraftKings and FanDuel just hours before the online bidding deadline on Tuesday, July 15.
On August 15, the two winners will be revealed by the MGC. The deadline for applications for all other retail and mobile sports betting licenses is September 12. When sports betting is introduced in the state on December 1, 2025, those concessions will be made in time.
Online Licenses Have Benefits
The six professional sports teams in the Show-Me State, including the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs, MLB's Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals, the NWSL's Kansas City Current, the NHL's St. Louis Blues, and the MLS's St. Louis Soccer Club, are permitted to apply for up to two online sportsbook licenses and a retail permit under Missouri's sports betting law. The requirement to collaborate with a physical casino or sports venue reduces the net win of top online sportsbook companies' sports wagering earnings.
A connected online sportsbook and its physical casino partner split a percentage of the sportsbook's earnings. FanDuel and DraftKings are placing bets on obtaining one of the two untethered concessions because of this.
According to Missouri's sports betting law, cellphone licenses must pay a $500K yearly charge. The cost of retail licenses is $250K. Oddsmakers will donate 10% of their winnings to the state regardless of where the wager is placed; this is an alluring rate that is significantly lower than the roughly 19% national sports betting tax.
Based on seven criteria, the MGC will evaluate and issue the three direct mobile license applications. These include of the applicant's corporate integrity, advertising and promotional strategies, operational history, sports betting experience, ability to create, maximize, and maintain state income, dedication to responsible play, and ability to grow the number of bettors on its platform.
Caesars Sportsbook will be an affiliate of Horseshoe St. Louis, while Penn Entertainment is probably going to tie its ESPN Bet platform to the company's Hollywood Casino St. Louis. Since MGM Resorts lacks a casino in Missouri, the business secured its online sports betting entry in May by partnering with Century Casinos.
Appealing Market
In addition to Missouri's low tax on online sports betting, there are a number of other factors that make bookmakers optimistic about the state.
More than 6.2 million people call the sports-mad state of Missouri home, and it shares a border with Illinois, where lawmakers recently implemented a per-bet levy that may worsen the state's available odds and drive some Illinoisans to relocate their businesses to Missouri.
