Underdog Partners With Royals for Missouri Sports Betting Access

Underdog has now opened the doors to expanding into a new market, Missouri, by partnering with the Kansas City Royals, allowing them access to launching in the Show Me State when mobile sports betting goes live in early December.

Underdog Plays Ball With the Royals

In anticipation of the mobile sports betting launch in Missouri, which will occur in less than two months, Underdog has announced a partnership with MLB’s Kansas City Royals.

“The Royals have forged a deep and authentic connection with baseball fans throughout the Kansas City region, in Missouri and beyond,” said Stacie Stern, Underdog’s senior VP of government affairs and partnerships. “We’ve built our products with the same approach – real, organic connection with sports fans to get to one goal: make sports more fun.”

Underdog and the Kansas City Royals have partnered before on events like “Bark at the Park” and the “Underdog Hot Dog Derby.” Therefore, there is familiarity between the two parties and a synergy that exists as they enter this sports betting pact.

There is currently no plan to build a retail sportsbook at Kauffman Stadium, home of the Royals, but Underdog will gain access to the team’s ballpark and digital advertising assets.

Missouri Preparing to Launch

Any sports betting company applying for a license in Missouri must partner with one of the state’s six professional sports teams or a designated casino operating within its boundaries.

All of the “tethered” licensees choose their dance partners to gain market access and advertising rights on their media streams in exchange for a share of the sportsbooks’ profits. Missouri’s sports betting industry is preparing to launch on December 1, 2025.

Circa Sports and DraftKings were the only two applicants granted an untethered license, which means neither has to partner with any professional sports entity or casino organization in order to operate in Missouri. FanDuel also applied for an untethered license but was surprisingly passed over in favor of the throwback Vegas sportsbook, Circa Sports.

FanDuel quickly pivoted and subsequently partnered with the Major League Soccer team St. Louis City SC to gain market access in Missouri.

Stay tuned for the latest updates on this and other major industry developments, including the top-rated sportsbooks.