With Missouri’s sports betting launch date fast approaching, the Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) is grappling with a flood of applications. A total of 1,113 submissions have been filed by operators, vendors, suppliers, and key personnel as the state eyes a December 1 go-live date for both online and retail sportsbooks.
The surge reflects high industry interest in what could become one of the region’s most active betting markets. While the official application deadline to ensure a December start was last Friday, the MGC has confirmed it will process any submissions postmarked by that date.
Big Players Stack the Deck with Hundreds of Applications
A handful of major operators are dominating the application count. BetMGM alone submitted 300 applications, followed by Penn Sports Interactive with 221, Underdog with 181, and bet365 with 166. These figures include filings not only for operational licenses but also for individual staff members who must be cleared to work under Missouri’s regulatory framework.
Retail sportsbooks, in particular, drive up the number of required applications due to staffing at physical locations. All applicants are required to complete one or more of the 10 official application types listed by the commission.
Who’s In – and Who’s Partnering
The state has already issued two untethered mobile licenses, awarded to Circa Sports and DraftKings on August 19. The remaining 19 operator licenses must be tied to either a Missouri casino or one of six professional sports franchises designated by the state.
So far, only two such partnerships have been made public. FanDuel has secured a deal with St. Louis City SC, the city’s Major League Soccer team, while bet365 has teamed up with the St. Louis Cardinals. No official licensing deals have yet been announced by the Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, KC Current of the NWSL, or the St. Louis Blues.
Public Presentations Set for Late September
License hopefuls are set to present their cases during public meetings scheduled for September 23 – 24. This format will be familiar to those who watched the August sessions for stand-alone mobile licenses, during which operators outlined their platforms and answered questions from commissioners.
No new operator applicants were revealed in the latest update, but one new venue — Century Casino Cape Girardeau – was added to the list. BetMGM, which has already confirmed its intent to launch both digital and retail operations in the state, plans to utilize Century Casinos for market access.
Missouri’s Betting Landscape Takes Shape
The roster of applicants reads like a list of industry heavyweights. Companies seeking entry into Missouri’s sports betting space include:
- Caesars Sportsbook
- Fanatics Betting & Gaming
- ESPN Bet (via Penn Entertainment)
- theScore
- Underdog
- FanDuel
- Bet365
- BetMGM
- DraftKings
- Circa Sports
Interestingly, Kambi, a company typically seen as a backend supplier for odds and platforms, has thrown its hat into the ring for a direct operator license — a notable shift that could signal broader ambitions.
As Missouri inches closer to its December rollout, the MGC faces a demanding approval process to sift through the extensive list of applications. But if all goes according to plan, the state is poised to become a significant new player in the national sports betting landscape.
Source:
“Missouri regulator processing more than 1,100 wagering-related applications”, casinonewsdaily.com, Sep 17, 2025.
The post Licensing Surge as Missouri Pushes Toward Sports Betting Launch first appeared on RealMoneyAction.com.