Missouri Awards First Temporary Sports Betting Licenses

• The Missouri Gaming Commission awarded its first temporary sports betting licenses
• The commission awarded nine temporary licenses
• Sports betting launches on Dec. 1, 2025, at midnight

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The Missouri sports betting market has now officially taken shape less than two months before its upcoming launch.

The Missouri Gaming Commission this afternoon awarded its first nine temporary sports betting licenses to DraftKings, Circa Sports, FanDuel, Underdog, Fanatics Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook, ESPN BET, bet365, and BetMGM.

The Show-Me State will launch sports betting on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025 at midnight.

No Surprises in Sports Betting License Decisions

The state’s sports betting market is now officially set as each applicant received a temporary sports betting licenses. Licenses awarded to DraftKings and Circa Sports are untethered online sports betting licenses, while the remaining seven are tethered, with operators partnering with either a professional sports franchise or state casino for market access.

BetMGM Missouri announced a market access deal with Century Casinos in May, while bet365 Missouri announced a sports betting market access agreement with the St. Louis Cardinals this past March.

ESPN BET will enter the market through PENN Entertainment’s owned and operated Hollywood Casino and River City Casino locations in Missouri. Caesars Sportsbook Missouri used its Caesars Entertainment owned Harrah’s Kansas City and Horseshoe St. Louis casinos for its market access as well.

FanDuel applied for a license through its partnership with MLS team St. Louis CITY SC. Fanatics Sportsbook Missouri, which partnered with Boyd Gaming for market access, also applied for an online sports betting license and two retail sportsbook licenses at Boyd’s Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City and Ameristar Casino Resort and Spa St. Charles locations.

Underdog has partnered with the Kansas City Royals for its market access.

Retail, Supplier Sports Betting Licenses Also Awarded

The Missouri Gaming Commission also awarded several temporary retail sports betting licenses to operators. Fanatics Sportsbook will operate brick-and-mortar sportsbooks at Boyd’s Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City and Ameristar Casino Resort and Spa St. Charles locations.

Caesars Sportsbook will operate brick-and-mortar sportsbooks at the Caesars Entertainment owned Harrah’s Kansas City and Horseshoe St. Louis casinos.

Finally, PENN Entertainment, owners of the ESPN BET brand, received retail license for its Hollywood Casino and River City Casino locations in the state.

The following companies have also been awarded sports betting supplier licenses:

• Catalist Sports Inc.
• Gaming Laboratories International, LLC
• GeoComply
• SportsContentCo
• GDC America, Inc
• BMM Testlabs
• Integrity Compliance 360
• SIS Content Services
• Swish Analytics Missouri Inc.
• Swish Analytics Inc.
• International Betting Integrity Association
• Century Casino Cape Girardeau
• Stadium Technology Group
• Entain Holdings (UK) Limited
• LexisNexis Risk Solutions
• NYX Digital Gaming
• SUZOHAPP Gaming Solutions LLC

Remaining Processes Before Launch

While the Missouri Gaming Commission today crossed a major hurdle with the issuance of its temporary licenses, several key steps are still necessary prior to the state launching sports betting.

The licensed sports betting operators will open account registration and funding for users on Monday, Nov. 17, at midnight, provided the accounts are established in compliance with the proposed regulations.

The Missouri Gaming Commission will officially institute its sports betting rules on Nov. 30, 2025, a day before its sports betting launch. Any modifications to the house rules or internal controls prior to this date will be forwarded to the operators.