While the wave of sports betting legalisation in the US has slowed, Missouri stands out as one of the latest states to have launched at the end of 2025. What makes this market different for affiliates? BetMissouri’s Steve Bittenbender explains the rationale behind Gambling.com Group’s latest entry and how the brand built authority ahead of launch.
A veteran reporter, Gambling.com Group’s Steve Bittenbender (pictured) has been in journalism since the 1990s, working for a number of outlets including Reuters and Associated Press. While sports has always been his main beat, he has covered a wide range of other niches too, from local politics to the US seafood industry.
Outside work, betting has long been Bittenbender’s pastime of choice. Like many Americans, he first started wagering on the NCAA tournament through office pools and among groups of friends. Having no full-fledged casinos in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, he’d cross the river to Indiana or head to Las Vegas for the jackpot thrill. This experience, combined with his reporting background, made him the perfect candidate when the Nasdaq-listed affiliate was on the hunt for a betting analyst.
“When I joined in May 2023, the timing was great because it was right when Kentucky was getting ready to launch its sports betting platform, so I was able to help shape BetKentucky,” Bittenbender recalls. With more state launches following in the months ahead, he moved on to work on BetCarolina and, over the past year, BetMissouri.
Why Missouri matters
Missouri may be the 39th US state to legalise sports betting, but for Bittenbender it has always felt like one of the most consequential, largely due to its dense population of more than six million. “St Louis and Kansas City both have metro populations of about 2.5 million each. Some of that spills over into neighbouring states, but most of those people live in Missouri. That’s a big reason why we’re interested in the state,” he explains.
Maybe they’ve signed up for FanDuel or DraftKings in Kansas or Illinois, but they’re not familiar with Circa, Underdog or Fanatics
Steve Bittenbender, BetMissouri
Bordering eight different states, seven of which had already legalised sports betting, Missouri locals are no strangers to wagering. Many have long registered accounts elsewhere or crossed state lines to place bets, meaning potential users are already familiar with how betting apps work. The challenge, Bittenbender notes, lies in introducing them to what is newly available within Missouri itself.
“Maybe they’ve signed up for FanDuel or DraftKings in Kansas or Illinois, but they’re not familiar with Circa, Underdog or Fanatics. By going to our site, they can read about some of the other apps coming into the state and see what the registration process and bonuses look like,” he adds.
What truly sets Missouri apart, however, is how close legalisation came to not happening at all. After years of legislative stalemate, sports betting was finally approved through a voter referendum in 2024 that passed with just 50.05% of the vote, backed by major operators. Since then, the Missouri Gaming Commission had been working to put the regulatory framework and infrastructure in place ahead of the 1 December 2025 launch. Under the rules, both operators and B2B suppliers are required to hold licences to operate in the state. Gambling.com Group currently holds a temporary supplier licence for its sports data division OpticOdds and its marketing arm to provide services for Missouri sportsbooks.
Gaining an early edge
Rather than waiting for launch day, Bittenbender and his colleagues began laying the groundwork as soon as voters approved the bill. With no bonuses to promote ahead of go-live date, the BetMissouri team focused on building an information hub rather than a hype machine, anchoring coverage in local sporting culture, including in-depth content around teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL, the Kansas City Royals and the St Louis Cardinals of MLB.
Another content focus was regulatory explainers and sportsbook licensing updates, where Bittenbender’s journalism background proved crucial for securing exclusives. The opportunity came when the state confirmed its timeline for licence applications and how it would decide between granting untethered licences or requiring partnerships with in-state businesses.
“I happened to be at an event for Circa Sports here in Kentucky,” he recalls. “I had a chance to talk with Derek Stevens, the CEO of Circa Sports, and he expressed to me his interest in pursuing a licence in Missouri and why they thought Missouri was a good fit for them. I was able to write about that ahead of their licence application.”
Beyond original reporting, Bittenbender has also played an informal role supporting other media. As a journalist active on X, he’s keen to speak with Missouri-based reporters from mainstream news outlets who are new to the iGaming beat, helping them answer reader queries and avoid common misconceptions. The team also surveyed 1,000 Missourians last September to gather consumer insights, which showed that 24% of local residents were likely or very likely to place bets following legalisation.
We're probably about a year away from knowing what prediction markets will be allowed, where, and if states will be able to prohibit entirely or they’ll have free rein as federally regulated entities
Steve Bittenbender, BetMissouri
After launch: what comes next
Now just two weeks after launch, it may be too soon to gauge the full impact, but early player activity looks promising. Based on data from GeoComply, BetMissouri developed wagering estimates for the state using its population, interest levels and past state launch results. For the first full year, from 1 December 2025 to 30 November 2026, approximately $3.515 billion in bets are expected to be placed.
Bittenbender expects bettors’ interest to come in waves. “We believe BetMissouri is going to be an important resource for sports bettors, especially in this first year,” he says. “We believe we’ll see another spike in interest with the start of the NCAA basketball tournament in March, and then another one comes late summer next year when the 2026 American football season kicks off.”
When it comes to newer verticals like prediction markets, Bittenbender is firm in his wait and see mode. With federal court cases still unfolding and uncertainty around how states may respond, BetMissouri is sticking to licensed sports betting for now. “As we get more clarity on what else will be allowed, we’ll look to add that to our coverage. But I’d say we’re probably about a year away from knowing what prediction markets will be allowed, where, and if states will be able to prohibit entirely or they’ll have free rein as federally regulated entities,” he explains.
Committed to continuing to offer news and analysis around the Show Me State’s sports scene, Steve Bittenbender is only picking up pace with his coverage. BetMissouri is where he’s placing the bet on his next career chapter.