With a Missouri sports betting launch looming this fall, a key stakeholder in legalization now has a sportsbook partner.
The St. Louis Cardinals announced Monday that they have partnered with bet365 to become their official Missouri sports betting partner. Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III led the push to get sports betting on the 2024 ballot.
“We are thrilled to welcome bet365 as the club’s official mobile sports betting partner,” DeWitt said in the release. “This partnership adds a new and exciting element to the fan experience, which can be activated at Busch Stadium or any place that fans watch and follow Cardinals baseball.”
Cardinals-bet365 partnership details
The partnership is a multi-year deal containing advertising rights across Cardinals media and Busch Stadium. Bet365 will also sponsor the team’s starting lineups at Busch Stadium and the second-level, all-inclusive bet365 Bridge in right-centerfield.
“Bet365 is proud to announce our partnership with the St. Louis Cardinals, one of the most storied franchises in Major League Baseball,” a bet365 spokesperson said. “We are excited to bring a world-class mobile sports betting experience to the Show-Me State.”
Each professional sports team in Missouri can partner with one online sportsbook operator for a license.
Cardinals roll in legalization
DeWitt was among the loudest voices during legislative legalization efforts in the Show-Me State.
After another legislative failure in 2023, he told LSR the state’s teams would lead a ballot campaign.
The expensive campaign barely succeeded at the polls, passing with 50.05% of the vote.
Bet365 footprint grows
After a late start in the US sports betting market, bet365 is now live in 13 states.
So far this year, the UK powerhouse launched in Illinois and Tennessee to coincide with March Madness betting.
Missouri sports betting framework
Along with the professional sports teams, the state’s 13 riverboat casinos also receive licenses.
The Missouri Gaming Commission can also issue two standalone licenses to online operators.
Missouri will levy a 10% tax on sports betting revenue.
Missouri sports betting timeline
After the ballot result was certified, stakeholders hoped for a launch in the early summer. That remained on track as the MGC submitted rules to the executive branch in late January.
However, Secretary of State Denny Hoskins derailed the launch by rejecting emergency rules. The MGC recently posted on its website that the licensing application process will soon begin.
Standard rules will go into effect in August, setting up for a launch during the NFL betting season.
