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Should all go as indicated earlier by the Missouri Gaming Commission, Wednesday, Oct. 22, will be a important day for sports betting operators and for people in Missouri who wish to wager on sports.
That’s the day the MGC is expected to announce which operators will receive licenses to host mobile and retail betting.
Provided that operators submitted their house rules and internal controls by Sept. 26, they will be able to progress toward being able to accept customer deposits starting on Nov. 17 and then open Missouri sports betting on Dec. 1.
Not all available licenses will be awarded
Applications from two operators, DraftKings Sportsbook and Circa Sportsbook, were approved by the MGC for untethered mobile licenses in August. DraftKings let potential customers in Missouri know in September that they could create accounts immediately.
Though Missouri can award 19 retail and 12 mobile licenses tied to casinos or Missouri pro sports franchises per the amendment voters approved last November, not enough applicants came forward to grab all the licenses.
Up to eight casinos seeking licenses
For bettors who want to visit sportsbooks at Missouri casinos, they could have up to eight choices available, with all but one located in Missouri’s two major metro markets.
In St. Louis, applicants include:
- Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles (Fanatics Sportsbook)
- Hollywood Casino and Hotel St. Louis (Penn Entertainment/ESPN BET)
- Horseshoe St. Louis (Caesars)
- River City Casino and Hotel (Penn/ESPN BET)
In Kansas City, applicants include:
- Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City (Fanatics Sportsbook)
- Argosy Casino & Hotel (Penn/ESPN BET)
- Harrah’s Kansas City (Caesars)
Century Casino & Hotel Cape Girardeau, a BetMGM-affiliated property in southeast Missouri, is also in the mix.
Mobile options abound
If Missouri follows the pattern of other states, most betting will take place on mobile, with a number of options awaiting customers. In addition to the two known options, Wednesday’s expected announcement will confirm the status of the following mobile license hopefuls:
- Bet365
- BetMGM
- Caesars
- FanDuel
- Fanatics
- Kambi
- Penn Entertainment
- Underdog
Most have extensive track records operating mobile betting in multiple states, including FanDuel Sportsbook, which lost out on its bid to get an untethered mobile license.
Underdog, which applied first along with DraftKings, is more known as a daily fantasy sports operator. But it operates a sportsbook in North Carolina and has licenses in two other states. Kambi, which operates prediction markets that include sports betting, is another surprise entrant into Missouri’s mobile betting sweepstakes.
In total, the MGC has been processing more than 1,100 applications, most of which are seeking Sports Wagering Suppliers Licenses to offer operator support, and Level 2 applications for individual workers.
