Boyd Gaming Partners With Fanatics for Missouri Sports Betting Launch

Boyd Gaming, which owns and operates Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City and Ameristar Casino Resort and Spa Saint Charles, agreed to a partnership deal with Fanatics Betting and Gaming.

The deal paves the way for Fanatics to join Missouri’s sports betting market, which will launch in December. All 13 of the state’s casinos and six professional sports teams are eligible to partner with sportsbook operators, who will receive tethered operator’s licenses.

The deal between Boyd Gaming and Fanatics, announced on Monday comes about three weeks before the first deadline, Sept. 12, for tethered license applicants.

Opening its doors

Missouri approved two untethered licensees earlier this month. The recipients, DraftKings and Circa Sports, don’t need to agree to local partnerships and won’t have to split their profits with any land-based partners, which is why the untethered classification is often seen as more desirable.

Fanatics’ agreement with the casinos will not only allow it to operate its mobile sportsbook app, pending approval by the Missouri Gaming Commission, but it will also let the company install brick-and-mortar sportsbooks at Boyd’s Missouri properties.

With its impending Missouri launch, Fanatics is expected to be live online in 24 states. It is now only behind DraftKings (27 states) and is in the same number of states as FanDuel, the national leader in sports betting.

Interestingly, FanDuel opted to partner with MLS club St. Louis City SC for entry into the Missouri market after it unexpectedly missed out on an untethered license.

FanDuel in July announced it had repurchased Boyd’s five percent share of FanDuel for $1.8 billion. The companies had been joined at the hip since 2018, but their separation means they are now free to operate totally independently.

Preparing the Missouri sports betting market

Missouri’s sports betting market is starting to take shape with just a few weeks until the first deadline. Companies that do not submit their application can still open up shop in Missouri, but they will not be eligible for the Dec. 1 launch date.

While Circa and DraftKings already received approval for licenses, several other companies obtained land-based partners to act as a liaison for their entry into the market. Those include:

• bet365 - St. Louis Cardinals
• BetMGM - Century Casinos
• Fanatics - Boyd Gaming
• FanDuel - St. Louis City SC

ESPN Bet should also have easy access to the market due to its affiliation with PENN Entertainment, which operates three casinos in Missouri.

Caesars sportsbook also has easy access since Caesars Entertainment owns three land-based casinos in the state.

Underdog Sports previously applied for a license, though it has not announced a local partner.