Underdog partners with Kansas City Royals ahead of Missouri sports betting launch
Underdog, already available in Missouri with its daily fantasy sports contests, preps for December start of sports betting there.
Underdog has announced its Missouri sports betting partner after completing the application process without earlier disclosure of its market access deal.
Underdog revealed its deal with the Kansas City Royals last week ahead of the 1 December launch of Missouri sports betting.
“The Royals have forged a deep and authentic connection with baseball fans throughout the Kansas City region, in Missouri and beyond,” Stacie Stern, Underdog senior vice president of government affairs and partnerships, said in a release. “We’ve built our products with the same approach — real, organic connection with sports fans to get to one goal: make sports more fun. We are going to work with the Royals to bring the best sports betting experience possible to fans in Missouri, while we continue to drive innovation in sports gaming and expand our product offerings in new states.”
The deal is pending Missouri Gaming Commission approval. The MGC expects to issue temporary approvals later this month before launching in December. Approved operators will begin accepting user signups and deposits on 17 November.
Underdog gaming expansion
Underdog began its entry into gaming in 2020 with daily fantasy sports offerings. Missourians can already play Underdog’s DFS products.
Underdog has worked with the Royals in the past, including sponsoring promotions like “Bark at the Park” and the “Underdog Hot Dog Derby.”
“The Royals look forward to continuing and enhancing our partnership with Underdog, which is our longest-standing relationship in sports gaming,” Brooks Sherman, Royals president of business operations, said in the release. “We’ve partnered with them on some of our most engaging fan programs, like Bark at the Park and the Underdog Hot Dog Derby, and we look forward to working with Underdog to provide Royals fans throughout Missouri the opportunity to have even more fun while watching sports.”
Underdog has since expanded into online sports betting, including an active sportsbook in North Carolina. The company also holds sports betting licences in Ohio and Colorado.
Underdog also announced its foray into sports event contracts through a partnership with Crypto.com.
The MGC awarded two untethered licences in August to DraftKings and Circa Sports.
FanDuel applied unsuccessfully for one of the two available untethered licences, but it ultimately partnered with St. Louis City FC for access.
Missouri voters approved sports betting in November 2024 following multiple years of attempts in the state Legislature. The law allows the state’s 13 casinos and six professional sports teams to offer online and in-person sportsbooks.
Sportsbook partnerships in Missouri also include:
Bet365 with the St. Louis Cardinals
BetMGM with Century Casinos
Caesars through Caesars casinos (Harrah’s Kansas City and Horseshoe St. Louis)
ESPN Bet through Penn Entertainment casinos (Hollywood Casino and River City Casino)
Fanatics with Boyd Gaming
