ESPN BET Applies For Missouri Online Sports Betting License as Deadline Draws Nears

• ESPN BET has applied for an online sports betting license in Missouri
• DraftKings and Circa Sports have acquired sports betting licenses, while five other operators have submitted applications
• Sports betting applications are due by Friday, Sept. 12

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The market for Missouri sports betting apps is rounding into shape as the application deadline for licenses draws near.

PENN Sports Interactive, and its ESPN BET online sports betting platform, is the latest to submit an online sports betting license application to the Missouri Gaming Commission. Five operators have submitted applications so far, while the commission has already awarded two untethered online sports betting licenses to DraftKings and Circa Sports.

Operators hoping to launch day one of Missouri sports betting must submit their applications in full by Friday, Sept. 12.

ESPN BET Already Had Market Access

ESPN BET is the latest operator to apply for an online sports betting license in the state and is doing so through its established market access in Missouri. Online sports betting license applicants must have a partnership with a Missouri professional sports franchise or casino to be eligible for a license.

PENN Entertainment owns and operates several Hollywood Casino and River City Casino locations in the state, which ESPN BET is using for its market access partner.

In total, the commission will be allowed to issue up to 19 retail sports betting licenses and up to 14 online sports betting licenses under the approved framework.

So far, the Missouri Gaming Commission has received five applications for online sports betting licenses. Caesars Sportsbook applied for an online sports betting license and two retail sports betting licenses in late August. Caesars Sportsbook used its Caesars Entertainment owned Harrah’s Kansas City and Horseshoe St. Louis casinos for its market access to enter Missouri.

FanDuel also applied for an online license late in the month after failing to secure one of the two available untethered online sports betting licenses. FanDuel applied for a license through its partnership with MLS team St. Louis CITY SC.

Fanatics Sportsbook, 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.

It announced it will open Fanatics-branded retail sportsbooks at these locations.

Underdog has also applied for an online sports betting license, but has yet to announce its market access partner.

The Show-Me State only has a few more deadlines to reach before its sports betting launch. Here is the remaining Missouri sports betting schedule:

Sept. 12: All other partnered retail and online sports betting license applications must be completed

Dec. 1: Deadline for the launch of Missouri sports betting

Supplier License Applications Coming In

The commission has received 11 sports betting supplier license applications so far. The following companies have submitted sports betting supplier license applications:

• BMM Test Labs
• Catalist
• GLI
• GeoComply
• Integrity Compliance 360 Inc.
• OpticOdds
• SBTech
• SIS Content Services
• SportsContentCo
• Sportradar
• theScore