The Missouri Gaming Commission is one step closer to launching sports betting in the state.
The deadline to apply for Missouri's two untethered gambling licenses passed last week. Now, the bulk of the work remaining for state gambling regulators is to run background investigations on applicants.
“That’s a pretty extensive process,” said Jan Zimmerman, chairman of commission. “It involves contacting all of those individuals and companies that have applied for licensure with gaming to make sure it’s appropriate and they’ve been vetted properly.”
The ballot measure to legalize sports wagering in the state was passed by voters in November 2024, amending the state constitution. The amendment requires sports gambling to go live in the state by Dec. 1.
Here are the answers to some key questions about Missouri's rollout of legalized sports betting:
What is an untethered license?
An untethered license, also called a direct mobile license, grants permission to provide an online sports betting service in Missouri. Two of these licenses are available. They will allow gambling companies to take sports bets without having a physical location in the state.
Who's in the running for the untethered licenses?
FanDuel, DraftKings and Circa Sports submitted applications.
New York-based FanDuel and Boston-based DraftKings are the No. 1 and No. 2 companies by revenue in a U.S. sports gambling market estimated to be worth about $19.8 billion this year, according to market research firm Grand View Research. They were founded in 2009 and 2012, respectively, as daily fantasy sports companies. Circa is affiliated with Circa Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, which launched its online sportsbook in 2020.
What other licenses are available?
The state offers four other types of licenses for sports gambling companies: retail, mobile, supplier and data provider.
Retail licenses are for physical sportsbooks, either at casinos or professional sports teams’ stadiums. Mobile licenses are for online betting, but are different from untethered licenses in that they have to be tied into a physical location — like a casino or sports stadium — in the state. Supplier and data provider licenses are for companies that have equipment or data tools that help run a sportsbook.
What other applications have been submitted?
Underdog, a daily fantasy sports and sports gambling company, has applied for a mobile license. Catalist, a data provider, applied for a supplier license. GLI, an independent testing lab, and GeoComply, a cybersecurity company, applied for supplier licenses.
What happens to unchosen sports wagering services?
Whatever sportsbook isn’t granted an untethered license will have to decide if it wants to pursue being a sportsbook in Missouri, said Pat Evans, lead writer at Legal Sports Report, a publication covering gambling.
The other options include partnering with one of Missouri's 13 casinos — many of which already have affiliated sportsbooks — or one of six professional sports teams in the state.
Who else could apply for licenses?
The parent companies of the 13 casinos can apply for licenses to have mobile sports betting in the state. There are six casino companies operating in the state: PENN Entertainment, Affinity, Caesars, Century, Ballys and Boyd.
Additionally, six professional sports teams in the state can apply to have a sportsbook in their stadiums or to have mobile betting: the Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Current, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Blues, St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis City SC. They are expected to partner with external gambling companies to operate these sportsbooks.
What are the key dates on the horizon?
The commission is reviewing applicants for the two available untethered licenses. Recipients of those licenses will be announced Aug. 15.
The effective date for the rules governing sports betting in the state is Aug. 30.
Sports wagering must go live by Dec. 1.
