By: Jacob Tukker
Launch-day promotions and celebrity bets are right around the corner for Missouri sports betting, which began Monday at the stroke of midnight.
For those inclined to bet on sports, the earliest days after a state launch can be the only time they actually have a statistical edge on the house if they take advantage of promotions.
Celebrity bets
Multiple sportsbooks announced opening-day celebrations, including Caesar’s Sportsbook, DraftKings and Fanatics.
At the closest casino to Columbia, the Isle of Capri Boonville, former Chiefs quarterback Trent Green will make a stop on his trip to promote Caesar’s-branded sportsbooks. Green will first make a bet at Horseshoe St. Louis, then travel to Boonville, and finally hit Harrah’s Kansas City later in the day, where he will meet up with another Chiefs legend, former running back Christian Okoye.
Although Isle of Capri Boonville will not have its own retail sportsbook, the casino is welcoming members to place mobile sports bets while visiting.
DraftKings has assembled a star-studded cast of characters for its launch event at The Palladium in St. Louis.
Missouri sports legends, including St. Louis Rams receiver Isaac Bruce, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez and St. Louis Blues right-winger Brett Hull, will place celebrity bets for the sportsbook’s launch event.
DraftKings’ event will also feature Missouri House Speaker Jon Patterson.
Ex-Royals outfielder Alex Gordon will be promoting Fanatics’ launch by placing a ceremonial first bet at Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City. Fanatics also has a retail sportsbook across the state at Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles.
Late sportsbook shifts
Two sportsbooks left the Missouri market in the previous weeks. The partnership between ESPN and PENN Entertainment, which created ESPN Bet, announced on Nov. 6 it would disband by Dec. 1, which means Missourians won’t be placing bets there.
However, since PENN still has its mobile-betting license, it will rebrand as theScore Bet, which is based in Ontario.
PENN will also rebrand its retail sportsbooks in two physical casinos, the River City Casino and the Hollywood Casino in St. Louis.
Steve Bittenbender, a gambling analyst for Gambling.com Group, says the move likely won’t change much for consumers.
“It would be like Kohl’s buying Target, and on a certain date, Target is rebranded to something else,” Bittenbender said. “It’s basically a rebrand. A very expensive rebrand.”
Customers who had previously downloaded the ESPN Bet app won’t even have to get a new app — it will be changed to theScore Bet automatically.
The second mover is Underdog Sports, which originally won one of the state’s nine mobile betting licenses. It also announced it would no longer operate a traditional online sportsbook in the state earlier in November.
Instead, it will focus on prediction markets in the same vein as Kalshi and Polymarket that aren’t taxed or heavily regulated by states, according to FOX2Now.
Last-minute early sign-up promotions, revenue projections
Here are some promotions bettors can still receive by signing up to various apps before the launch:
• DraftKings: Sign up and receive $300 in bonus bets, without a deposit required.
• BetMGM: If your first bet loses, receive bonus bets back equal to up to $1,500.
• FanDuel: Sign up and receive $100 in bonus bets, then up to $400 in bonus bets once you place your first bet of $5 or more.
• Caesar’s Sportsbook: Bet $5, get $150 if you win, plus five more profit boosts on future bets.
These promotions all require you to gamble the bonus bets again, and win, before they can be cashed out. If you miss the pre-launch registration, many sportsbooks will still have promotions, but they will likely be smaller.
Experts will be eyeing this first month of gambling closely to see what the Missouri handle will look like.
“The next six weeks will be fascinating to watch for operators and for customers, just to see how explosive the Missouri sports betting market is in actuality,” Christopher Boan of BetMissouri.com said. “I think it’s important to watch these first couple months, especially, because you’ve got NFL, you’ve got NBA, you’ve got a bunch of stuff that people want to bet on right away.”
BetMissouri projects the state’s overall handle (total bets placed) to be $65,652,274 during the first week, and $262,609,095 during the first month of operations. The total will be key for policymakers who could look to adjust taxes, regulations and more depending on the total handle. Missouri takes 10% of the sportsbooks’ adjusted gross revenue.
Boan expects the raw betting figures to be big, as revenues in other states around Missouri continue to rise.
“There’s a very strong interest in sports betting in the Show-Me State,” Boan said.
The story originally appeared in the Columbia Missourian. It can be republished in print or online.