BetMGM Announces Missouri Sports Betting Partnership With Century Casinos
More pieces of the Missouri sports betting puzzle continue to fall into place.
BetMGM is the newest piece in that picture, announcing Tuesday that it partnered with Century Casinos, which operates two casinos in the Show Me State.
With the partnership, BetMGM gains access to the Missouri sports betting market through Century’s license, pending regulatory approvals.
Online sports betting will launch in Missouri on Dec. 1, just over a year after residents voted to legalize it last November. The ballot measure was a response to state legislators’ failed attempts dating back to 2018 and passed by 0.1%.
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A winning partnership for BetMGM and Century
The “long-term” partnership between BetMGM and Century Casinos ensures both parties stand to gain. BetMGM receives the rights to operate the BetMGM Sportsbook mobile app and retail sportsbooks at Century’s two properties in Cape Girardeau and Caruthersville.
In return, Century receives a percentage of BetMGM’s net gaming revenue with a guaranteed minimum. Century will also have the final say on the finished products for its retail sportsbooks.
“We are excited to partner with BetMGM, a leading online sports betting and gaming entertainment company with a dynamic and innovative brand,” said Erwin Haitzmann and Peter Hoetzinger, Co-Chief Executive Officers of Century Casinos, in a press release. “This partnership is another step forward in leveraging our Missouri licenses and delivering premium entertainment experiences for our customers.”
MO betting license application window open
The Missouri Gaming Commission began accepting applications for online sports betting licenses in mid-May.
In total, 21 mobile sports betting licenses will be up for grabs. Each of the state’s 13 riverboat casinos and six professional sports teams will receive a license, and the MGC can award two additional “untethered” licenses.
The MGC set a July 15 deadline for its license applications and a Sept. 12 deadline for those partnering with a casino or sports team.
Missouri sports betting partnerships
To date, only two sportsbooks have landed official sports betting partnerships.
bet365 Sportsbook joined forces with the St. Louis Cardinals earlier in May, forging a multi-year deal giving the sports betting operator exclusive sponsorship and advertising rights in addition to pending market access.
BetMGM became the second operator to lock down its avenue to market access. BetMGM has a multi-year partnership with the Kansas City Chiefs, but chose to partner with Century. The Chiefs deal remains intact, though that could change depending on its future licensing partnerships.
BetMGM will operate using the Century Casino & Hotel Cape Girardeau license, meaning Century could double-dip and attract an additional partnership for its Caruthersville location. Similarly, Boyd Gaming. Caesars and Penn Entertainment operate multiple Missouri casinos and could forge numerous partnerships.
That said, frontrunners exist for at least one license among those operators:
- Boyd Gaming has an existing partnership with FanDuel across multiple states. It operates Ameristar Casinos in St. Charles and Kansas City.
- The Caesars Sportsbook will take center stage at one or more of Caesars’ three Missouri properties: Horseshoe St. Louis, Harrah’s Kansas City and Isle of Capri Casino, Boonville
- Penn Entertainment has an official partnership with ESPN Bet. Penn operates River City and Hollywood Casinos in St. Louis and the Argosy Riverside Casino in Kansas City.
Lastly, BallyBet is an obvious choice to gain access through Bally’s Kansas City Casino.
Time will tell what remaining partnerships will unfold between sportsbooks and casinos or sports teams. More news should unfold the closer we get to the September deadline, and the picture will become clear well before the Dec. 1 launch.
