Underdog strikes multi-year partnership with Kansas City Royals for Missouri sports betting market

• Underdog secures market access deal with Kansas City Royals for upcoming Missouri sports betting launch
• The fastest-growing sports company in the US has a pending licence application under Missouri Gaming Commission review
• Partnership extends existing relationship that includes marketing campaigns and fan engagement programmes

Underdog, the fastest-growing sports company in the United States, has announced a multi-year partnership with the Kansas City Royals that includes market access for licensed sports betting in Missouri. The deal comes as Missouri prepares to launch its regulated sports betting market later this year.

The partnership builds on an existing relationship between the two organisations, extending their collaboration into the sports betting sector. Underdog currently has a pending sports betting licence application under review by the Missouri Gaming Commission and already offers licensed sports betting in North Carolina.

Strategic market expansion

The Missouri deal represents a key expansion opportunity for Underdog as it seeks to grow its footprint across U.S. regulated markets. The company holds fantasy sports licences in states across the country and positions itself as the only top-tier sports gaming operator built on proprietary technology ..

“The Royals have forged a deep and authentic connection with baseball fans throughout the Kansas City region, in Missouri and beyond,” said Stacie Stern, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Partnerships at Underdog. “We’ve built our products with the same approach – real, organic connection with sports fans to get to one goal: make sports more fun.”

Existing partnership foundation

The relationship between Underdog and the Kansas City Royals predates this sports betting agreement, with the companies having collaborated on various fan engagement initiatives. These have included programmes such as 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,” commented Brooks Sherman, Royals President of Business Operations.

“We’ve partnered with them on some of our most engaging fan programmes, 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.”

Technology and innovation focus

Underdog emphasises its technological capabilities as a differentiator in the competitive US sports betting landscape. The company, founded in 2020, markets itself as being built on proprietary technology rather than third-party platforms commonly used by other operators.

The partnership agreement includes marketing campaigns and philanthropic efforts alongside the market access component. Missouri sports fans can currently download the Underdog app to access fantasy sports products while awaiting the launch of licensed sports betting.