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Penn Entertainment – which manages ESPN Bet, as well as Bally’s, Boyd Gaming, Caesars, and Rush Street Interactive casinos – has posted hiring notices for sportsbook managers on two of its Missouri property websites.
That’s a clear indication the casino company will apply for retail and perhaps mobile sports betting licenses ahead of the Sept. 12 deadline.
Missouri sports betting launches Dec. 1.
Just 2 have applied for tethered licenses
As of now, only Fanatics and Underdog have submitted applications for what the Missouri Gaming Commission has designated tethered licenses, requiring affiliation with an in-state casino or sports betting franchise to qualify.
DraftKings, FanDuel, and Circa Sports, vying for the two untethered licenses, will know next week if they can operate independently in Missouri.
ESPN Bet’s national footprint
Penn posted the jobs on the Hollywood Casino & Hotel St. Louis site and the River City Casino & Hotel site.
With 19 mobile tethered licenses up for grabs, Penn could also soon seek an online license to operate ESPN Bet in the state.
The app operates in four bordering states – Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, and Kentucky – as well as 15 other states and the District of Columbia.
Who’s next?
With a little more than a month left in the application process, two other sports betting operators are expected to join thanks to their sports franchise partnerships: BetMGM and bet365. It’s also possible that casinos that don’t have existing relationships with sports betting operators will seek licenses.
Ameristar, one of the biggest casino names in the state, has an existing relationship with FanDuel. Should FanDuel secure an untethered license, it could move forward with any sportsbook plans being developed behind the scenes.
The next important date on the Missouri Gaming Commission’s calendar is Aug. 13, when the three applicants seeking untethered licenses will get to present their cases. The commission is expected to grant the two licenses two days later.
All three can also apply for tethered licenses.
