Fanatics Sportsbook Announces New Partnership in Missouri

The news out of the Show-Me State just won’t stop.

Fanatics Sportsbook has announced a new partnership with Boyd Gaming in Missouri. The Las Vegas gambling giant owns two Ameristar casinos in the state, located in the busy St. Louis and Kansas City areas. The partnership enables Fanatics to apply for a sports betting license in the state, whose market is set to launch on December 1.

If the sportsbook’s application is approved by the Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC), Fanatics would also be able to open retail locations at Boyd’s two casinos in the state.

After a long and complicated battle to finally legalize sports betting, Missouri’s sports betting launch appears to be moving along smoothly. The MGC has awarded the state’s two untethered licenses and has a long line of operators applying for the almost 20 standard ones available. 

The strong interest and smooth summer help to ease concerns over the timing of the market’s launch. The go-live date is the last possible day the state can legally launch the industry. The deadline was set by the constitutional amendment approved by voters, meaning any delay could set the effort back by a year or more.

Missouri’s Market is Filling Up Fast

Missouri’s sports betting market began accepting applications from operators earlier this summer, with the application deadline set to expire on September 12. While more operators could push for the market entry before then, Missouri bettors won’t have a shortage of options to choose from.

DraftKings and Circa Sports are the first two to be officially licensed by the MGC, winning the state’s two highly coveted untethered partnerships. These don’t require an in-state partner, allowing operators to retain more of their profits. FanDuel had also applied, but lost in a stunning decision by the MGC.

The sportsbooks pursuing the state’s standard licenses include FanDuel, Underdog, BetMGM, bet365, Caesars, Bally’s, and ESPN Bet.