The St. Louis Cardinals have announced a multi-year partnership with bet365, making the UK-based operator the team's first-ever official mobile sports betting partner. The deal positions bet365 for market access in Missouri, where voters approved sports betting in November 2024.
The agreement, announced Monday, includes extensive marketing rights for bet365 throughout the Cardinals' ecosystem:
Advertising on Cardinals radio broadcasts
Placements on the Cardinals Insider TV show and cardinals.com
In-stadium signage visible during television broadcasts
Sponsorship of the team's starting lineups at Busch Stadium
Naming rights to the stadium's ticketed seating and hospitality deck, now called the "bet365 Bridge"
"We are thrilled to welcome bet365 as the club's official mobile sports betting partner," said Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III in a statement. "This partnership adds a new and exciting element to the fan experience which can be activated at Busch Stadium or any place that fans watch and follow Cardinals baseball."
Financial terms and the exact length of the partnership were not disclosed.
The partnership comes as Missouri prepares to launch sports betting later this year. The state's gaming regulators have announced they will begin accepting license applications on May 15, with regulations taking effect August 30.
Under Missouri law, betting must commence by December 1, 2025, though the market is expected to launch in October or November, after the conclusion of the 2025 MLB regular season.
"Bet365 is proud to announce our partnership with the St. Louis Cardinals, one of the most storied franchises in Major League Baseball," a bet365 spokesperson said. "We are excited to bring a world-class mobile sports betting experience to the Show-Me State."
The Cardinals were instrumental in Missouri's path to legalized sports betting. DeWitt led efforts to get sports betting on the 2024 ballot after multiple legislative attempts failed.
The team, along with other Missouri professional sports franchises including the Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Blues, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis City, and Kansas City Current, financially supported the legalization campaign. Days before the November election, the Cardinals donated $333,333.33 to the Winning for Missouri Education campaign.
The ballot measure passed by the narrowest of margins, with 50.05% of voters approving legalization.
Bet365's partnership with the Cardinals adds to a growing list of operators expected to enter Missouri's sports betting market:
FanDuel and DraftKings, which contributed nearly $30 million to the legalization campaign
BetMGM, which has a prior deal with the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs
Caesars, PENN Entertainment, and Bally's, which operate casinos in the state
BetRivers and Underdog, which have expressed interest in the market
Missouri's sports betting framework allows each of the state's six professional sports teams to partner with a sportsbook. The state's casinos also receive licenses, though regulators are awaiting clarification on whether all 13 individual properties or just the six casino operating companies qualify for partnerships.
The Missouri Gaming Commission can also issue two standalone licenses to online operators. The state will levy a 10% tax on sports betting revenue.
The Cardinals deal represents another step in bet365's methodical expansion across the United States. The operator recently launched in neighboring Illinois on March 13 and Tennessee on March 16, bringing its U.S. presence to 13 states.
Unlike its competitors, bet365 has taken a more measured approach to customer acquisition, foregoing the massive advertising campaigns that characterized early market entries by U.S.-focused operators.
With Missouri set to become its 14th state, bet365 will be live in several of Missouri's neighboring states, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, and Tennessee.