The major mobile sports betting brands are getting prepared to launch in Missouri on December 1st, and it appears as though ESPN Bet will not only go live digitally but will also open up two retail sportsbooks.
Penn Poised for Show-Me State Mobile and Retail Shops
According to several eagle-eyed gaming industry observers, Penn Entertainment has posted two sportsbook manager job postings at its Hollywood Casino St. Louis and River City Casino establishments, located in the metro St. Louis area. Penn has also confirmed it intends to open a sportsbook at its Argosy Riverside property in Kansas City.
Ryan Butler, a gaming industry insider, posted the following on X: “PENN is hiring Sportsbook Managers at its River City and Hollywood Casinos near St Louis, per recent job postings, a clear sign it will open ESPN BET retail books at each property; company also has direct market access to launch ESPN BET mobile book in Missouri as early as Dec. 1”
The construction of these retail sportsbooks is in preparation for the December 1, 2025, launch of sports betting in Missouri. This portends that Penn’s ESPN Bet mobile sports betting platform will be among approximately a dozen brands launching in the digital market as well.
ESPN Bet is currently not partnered with anyone in Missouri, but the announcement of two untethered licenses will be revealed on August 15th. Should ESPN Bet acquire one of those licenses, a partner would not be required, nor would they have to share in any of their digital gaming proceeds.
It has been speculated that FanDuel and DraftKings, the two powerhouse mobile betting sites that combined control roughly 73% of the U.S. market, will be chosen, as both were instrumental in delivering sports betting to the Show-Me State by contributing millions of dollars to the Winning for Missouri Education PAC that did much of the legwork.
Penn’s Rough Digital Ride
Penn Entertainment is determined to make its mobile sports betting platform, ESPN Bet, a success despite a lackluster start and investor upheaval. Once trading as high as $120/share in 2021, its venture into the fierce waters of mobile sports bookmaking has dragged that price down to $17.27/share as of this writing.
Penn’s CEO, Jay Snowden, became enamored with the burgeoning industry, and because his company had made a name for itself with its land-based casinos, he believed the company could parlay that success into the online sports betting world. However, branding cost the company a fortune, first $600 million by purchasing the Barstool Sports media empire, which resulted in the now defunct Barstool Sportsbook.
After the ink was barely dry on that acquisition, Snowden turned his attention to a 10-year, $2 billion licensing deal that resulted in ESPN Bet with the caveat that Penn divest itself from the recently purchased Barstool Sports brand. Snowden dissolved the sportsbook and sold Barstool back to the owner for $1 and the promise that Penn would share 50% of the proceeds should it ever be sold. Dave Portnoy, Barstool’s founder, has vowed never to sell.
