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Fanatics became the latest entrant into the Missouri sports betting license sweepstakes, bringing the total of sports betting operators to five.
A Missouri Gaming Commission spokesperson confirmed that Fanatics, in line with speculation that its growing sports betting enterprise would seek to include the Show Me state, became the first to apply for both a mobile and retail tethered license.
Fanatics has yet to name its licensing partner
Fanatics sportsbook is vying for two of the 31 licenses under the tethered classification, meaning that the applicant must have either a casino or sports franchise partnership to qualify.
While a Fanatics spokesperson said Thursday morning that he’s not ready to announce the partner at this time, vying for a retail license suggests that Fanatics has secured a casino partner. Underdog, which operates a sportsbook in North Carolina but is better known for its daily fantasy sports offerings, is the only other tethered license applicant on record; it has applied for just a mobile license.
Other presumptive tethered license applicants, with BetMGM Sportsbook and Bet365 Sportsbook expected among them, have until Sept. 12 to file.
DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, and Circa Sports have all applied for untethered licenses prior to the July 15 deadline. Determinations on which of the three entrants get the two untethered licenses — which don’t require casino or sports team partnerships — will come into clearer focus with a hearing next Wednesday in which the trio of applicants are invited to make their case. By Aug. 15, the Commission is expected to announce the two winners.
The operator that does not get selected for an untethered license will still be able to make a play for a tethered license.
Sports Wagering Supplier’s License Update
The MGC spokesperson also confirmed yesterday that a fifth applicant for a Sports Wagering Supplier’s License, Sportradar, has joined four others seeking licenses allowing companies to support sports betting operators in Missouri.
The Swiss company bills itself as “the one-stop-shop sportsbook specialists,” offering “everything from full business solutions to essential content like data, odds, statistics, and video streams to all-round marketing and management services,” according to its website. The site lists DraftKings, FanDuel, and Caesars Sportsbook among its clients.
Sportradar joins Catalist Sports, GeoComply, Gaming Laboratories International, and OpticOdds.
Missouri aims to open sports betting on Dec. 1, following a vote last November in which state residents narrowly approved the measure. It will be the 39th state to offer legal retail sports betting and the 31st to provide online sports betting.
