It’s now confirmed that at least 10 online sportsbooks will be up and running in Missouri on December 1, when the state’s newly legal market is set open. The Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) confirmed the total this week, after the close of the first round of applications. 

In two and a half months time Missouri will become the 39th state with a legal sports betting market. In November 2024, just over 50% of residents of the Show Me state voted to legalize sports betting. That decision will soon be enacted. But who are the ten prospective sportsbooks and what’s next for operators and bettors before the big day?

Who are the Applicants?

Applications opened on 15 May, and many operators have made it clear their intention to register before then. Up to 14 mobile sports betting licenses are available under the new state legislation. 

The full list of 10 sportsbook applicants who made the deadline is:

• DraftKings
• Circa Sports
• bet365
• BetMGM
• Caesars
• ESPN Bet
• Fanatics
• FanDuel
• Underdog

Missouri bettors can register at DraftKings on November 17, including being able to deposit. Wagers will open on December 1, and sportsbooks will be pulling out all the stops to attract your custom. So, make sure to gather all the info you need on this top national operator – from odds to bonuses and rewards – before you make your choice. 

The above list covers basically all the major national sportsbook operators. Two notable absentees are BallyBet, whose owner Bally’s Corporation operates Bally’s Kansas City Casino, and popular tribally owned sportsbook Hard Rock Bet. 

The Licensing Process Begins 

Now the license applications are in, the MGC has to take on the mammoth task of certifying each operator as fit to do business in the state. Not only does each sportsbook applicant require a license, but so do their tech providers and key personnel. 

In total, the regulator said the 10 license applications amounted to more than 800 individual and corporate licenses. Each needs to be reviewed, with applicants facing in-person reviews by the commission over September 23 and 24. 

All house rules and terms and conditions documents for Missouri operations must be submitted to operators by September 26, if any changes are needed after in-person consultation. 

Local Partners Get in on the Game

Sportsbooks must also now finalize agreements with their local state partners, as per legislation. DraftKings and Las Vegas-based Circa Sports secured the opportunity to apply for an online only license, meaning they are exempt from this. 

Circa was a shock pick for the coveted untethered option, with the MGC choosing it over national leading sportsbook FanDuel. The partnerships currently announced are:

• FanDuel and MLS club St Louis City FC
• Bet365 and the St Louis Cardinals MLB team
• BetMGM and Century Casinos
• Fanatics and Boyd Gaming
• ESPN Bet through its owners two Hollywood Casinos in Missouri
• Caesars through its Harrah’s casinos in Kansas City and St Louis

Underdog and Kambi have yet to announce who their local partners will be. Both are inexperienced in offering full customer facing online sportsbooks. 

Kambi has been a long-time back end tech provider rather than an actual sportsbook, so it will most likely be working through another as-yet-unannounced brand. Meanwhile Underdog has previously been a fantasy sports operation, with some existing presence in Missouri. So, it will be interesting to see how the state’s sports bettors react to their offerings. 

State of the Market – Taxes and Projections

Sportsbooks’ internal projections suggest Missouri sports betting could generate half a billion dollars a year in revenue in a few years. This would easily put it in the top half of US sports betting markets by revenue. 

Experts point to Missouri’s large number of popular big franchise sports teams and a proven public appetite for sports betting – thanks to the referendum vote – as reasons to expect a successful launch. 

The market is set to launch during the busy opening months of the 2025/26 NFL season, and the top operators have publicly confirmed they are expecting to take millions of dollars in hits chasing new customers with exciting offers. This risky strategy has paid off for many, but it has also cost other operators – like ESPN when it launched nationally in 2023 – more than they anticipated. 

Sportsbooks must believe the juice is worth the squeeze however, as applications for a Missouri license are not cheap. Each license has a flat fee of $250,000, except for non-partnered Circa and DraftKings who will pay $500,000. 

Operators will pay a 10% tax rate to the state on gross revenues. This is on the low end of what other legal sports betting states have chosen, but not the lowest. Projections suggest this could generate up to $29 million a year in taxes for state coffers. 

10% of the state’s revenue from sports betting will be directed towards problem gambling prevention, treatment and awareness.