FanDuel Sports Network to broadcast Saint Louis Billikens basketball

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2025/09/01: Sports betting network VSiN announces nationwide partnership with FanDuel 2025/10/15: Underdog extends St. Louis Blues partnership ahead of Missouri sports betting launch 2025/04/07: Hong Kong think tank suggests basketball gambling revenue should fund sports development 2025/06/09: Hong Kong proposes 50% betting duty on basketball wagers

The Backstory

How a college TV deal fits FanDuel’s local-first strategy

Saint Louis University’s new arrangement to put at least 10 men’s basketball games and one women’s game on FanDuel Sports Network is more than a programming fill. It extends a deliberate bet by the network on regional sports content built around hometown loyalties and easy streaming access. The games will air on FanDuel’s app and site, with simulcasts on ESPN+ under the Atlantic 10 media agreement, a hybrid approach that broadens reach without chasing costly national rights. For FanDuel, attaching a Division I program to a growing regional slate supports its pitch to viewers who want to watch local teams and sample shoulder programming tied to betting insights.

The Billikens package arrives as FanDuel spends against a wider distribution push and seeks sticky, repeat-viewing inventory during college basketball’s long season. It also puts familiar St. Louis broadcast voices on air, reinforcing the network’s local authenticity while it scales. In a market where sports betting is not yet live but where fan attention is intense, college hoops offers a steady cadence of programming that fits FanDuel’s “for the local fan” positioning without the price tag of major pro rights.

A distribution engine built with VSiN

The college package lands shortly after FanDuel deepened its bench of daily betting content. In late summer, the network struck a content distribution deal to carry VSiN’s morning program across its app and nine regional channels. As outlined in VSiN’s nationwide partnership with FanDuel, “VSiN By the Books” began airing weekdays at 7 a.m. ET on Aug. 28. That move gave FanDuel a reliable, studio-driven franchise designed to complement live games, pregame windows and highlight cut-ins tied to local teams.

The VSiN tie-up followed ownership consolidation at FanDuel’s parent and signaled a strategy to marry locally resonant live sports with betting analysis that does not overwhelm casual viewers. In that context, Saint Louis University games function as tentpoles around which to package pregame segments, prop discussions and replay analysis that can live on free, ad-supported channels and in-app streams. The timing also helps FanDuel seed habits in markets preparing to open to legal mobile wagering.

Missouri’s runway to legalization is shaping sponsor playbooks

FanDuel’s St. Louis push arrives as Missouri inches toward legal mobile sports betting. Operators and teams are already laying down markers that anticipate a launch in the second half of 2025. The St. Louis Cardinals’ multiyear sponsorship with Bet365 grants the bookmaker in-park signage, broadcast mentions and branded digital touchpoints, establishing brand familiarity ahead of go-live. The deal includes features like a sponsored lineup presentation and a hospitality asset dubbed the Bet365 Bridge, the kind of integrations that convert cleanly once wagering begins.

Another local example is the St. Louis Blues’ extension with Underdog, the daily fantasy operator expanding into sports betting with a Missouri application pending. The pact emphasized in-arena activations and broadcast visibility, signaling how teams are preparing audiences for betting-adjacent messaging while regulators finalize rules. Together, those agreements map a commercial runway for the Billikens broadcasts: cultivate loyal regional audiences now, then convert attention into advertising, sponsorship and eventually wagering-related engagement when legal frameworks arrive.

FanDuel’s strategy aligns with that sequencing. Put games fans care about on the network, wrap them with familiar local voices and data-friendly shoulder content, then scale sponsorship inventory as the state opens. College basketball’s predictable schedule gives advertisers frequency and reach without the fragmentation of national rights and streaming exclusives. It also keeps the brand present across the winter calendar, when NFL inventory is scarce and playoff costs climb.

College rights as a bridge between fandom and wagering

For universities, partnering with a sports betting–branded network raises questions about guardrails and audience composition. The Saint Louis package flows through the school’s multimedia rights holder rather than a direct wagering partnership, and distribution includes ESPN+ via the A-10’s media deal, insulating the program within familiar college sports structures. That said, the broadcast environment college teams now inhabit is undeniably shaped by sportsbooks’ demand for regional content and sponsorship assets that will be more valuable once wagering is live.

FanDuel is positioning college game broadcasts as a community product first and a betting content feeder second. The network can leverage VSiN’s weekday shows to lead into or out of games with analysis tailored to local matchups while staying within compliance norms. When Missouri operators eventually switch on, the infrastructure for live odds integrations and targeted ad units will already exist, but the audience will have formed around the team rather than the bet slip.

Global signals point to tightening governance alongside growth

While U.S. operators build regional media ecosystems, policymakers elsewhere are setting parameters that will shape how betting-backed content is produced and promoted. Hong Kong’s government, for instance, has proposed formalizing basketball wagering with a framework mirroring soccer betting. As detailed in Hong Kong’s proposed 50% duty on basketball wagers, officials endorsed a tax on operators’ net profits and a licensing regime aimed at diverting illegal activity into a controlled channel.

In parallel, a leading Hong Kong think tank urged that proceeds support public priorities. The call, described in a proposal to steer basketball betting revenue into sports development, recommended funding community facilities, international coaching hires and marquee events. The twin themes — legalization with guardrails and reinvestment — echo debates playing out in U.S. states as regulators weigh marketing limits, responsible gambling commitments and the role of colleges in a maturing market.

For media companies and rights holders, the global direction is clear: betting-backed sports programming will expand, but with closer scrutiny on how it reaches fans and what it gives back. Networks that anchor their offerings in local teams and community narratives, as FanDuel is doing in St. Louis, may find regulators and audiences more receptive than those chasing pure odds content.

The stakes: audience trust and monetization timing

FanDuel Sports Network’s tie-up with Saint Louis University is a test of whether locally centered programming can build durable audiences ahead of a legal switch flipping in Missouri. The network has built a scaffold — VSiN mornings for daily cadence, college games for appointment viewing, regional channels for distribution — that can carry sponsor demand now and adapt to wagering integrations later. Meanwhile, pro teams like the Cardinals and Blues are seeding brand familiarity for operators that will compete for attention and wallet share on day one.

If the Billikens broadcasts draw steady viewership and advertiser interest, they will validate a strategy that privileges regional relevance over national splash. For universities, success will be measured in exposure and community connection without compromising standards. For operators and networks, the long game is monetization timed to regulation, with content that feels local enough to be trusted when the betting era fully arrives.