Missouri sports bettors have actually crossed into Kansas for nearly 3 years to place legal sports betting bets. Three years from now, sports betting Kansas locals might do the exact same.
Key takeaways
- Kansas legislators halted new sportsbook license extensions till 2026, hinting at possible regulatory modifications that might impact its six legal operators after 2027.
- Missouri is set to release legal mobile sportsbooks in late 2025, potentially reversing cross-border betting patterns as Kansas bettors may head east.
- Future modifications in Kansas could consist of a sole-operator model or tax hikes, impacting competition and motivating gamblers to look for alternatives in Missouri.
Kansas sports betting wagering background
Kansas released its first legal mobile sportsbooks in 2022. Six books now take bets: BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, ESPN BET, Fanatics and FanDuel.
The ability to place legal bets in Kansas attracts gamblers on the Missouri side of the Kansas City city area to Kansas to bet, with some doing so most or nearly every day of the week.
That might alter if Kansas legislators overthrow the current regulatory structure. tell Covers some legislators wish to increase the state's sports wagering tax profits, amongst the least expensive per capita of any of the 30 states with statewide legal mobile sportsbooks.
Kansas' most likely reconsideration of its six-book legal sports betting market next year will come after Missouri goes cope with as many as a lots books; if Kansas drastically curtails its offerings, it might lead KS wagerers to position bets in MO, the opposite of the existing pattern
The changes could be as simple as a tax increase. It could also result in a sole-source operator model some legislators are considering, one that might produce more direct profits for the state but potentially require out some or all of the six existing sportsbooks as soon as their licenses end in Aug. 2027.
The legislation passed earlier this month just places a prohibition till 2026, implying Kansas' current sportsbooks can take bets up until their licenses end the following year. Lawmakers may not even think about a dramatic modification to the regulative structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, implying no noticeable impact for Sunflower State bettors.
But the license extension prohibition leaves the possibility for remarkable modifications that didn't seem possible weeks ago.
Missouri sportsbooks prepare to introduce
The Kansas move comes as Missouri nears the launch of its legal sportsbooks.
Missouri's multi-year sports betting legalization push ended in Nov. 2024, when citizens narrowly authorized a tally procedure to bring legal retail and online sportsbooks to the state. The vote followed years of failed efforts to legalize sports betting wagering in the legislature.
Missouri's legal sportsbooks are set to begin taking bets in the fourth quarter of 2025. There are also set to be nearly twice as many wagering alternatives in Missouri as Kansas.
FanDuel and DraftKings contributed more than $30 million to support the ballot measure. The two U.S. market share leaders have, as expected, announced plans to take bets in Missouri once licensed.
Other books including BetMGM, BetRivers and Underdog likewise revealed launch plans. Bet365 struck a handle MLB's St. Louis Cardinals and also prepares to accept bets in the state.
Caesars, which opposed the tally measure over license allowance concerns, operates three Missouri gambling establishments and is eligible to introduce its online book in the state. Penn Entertainment (ESPN BET) and Bally's (Bally Bet) likewise run Missouri casinos that approve them immediate market gain access to.
Other books including Hard Rock, live in Illinois, could likewise pursue one of approximately two-dozen potential Missouri sports wagering licenses.
The larger range of Show Me State betting alternatives could draw in Kansas gamblers in the Kansas City city location to Missouri to place bets, reversing years of bettor traffic going the opposite direction. This might accelerate if the Sunflower State curtails its sportsbook lineup, especially if DraftKings and/or FanDuel can no longer accept bets.
Missouri citizens in the Kansas City metro were the most ardent fans of the sports betting tally procedure, which might highlight residents' interest in placing bets in their home state when books go live.
Missouri's sports wagering lineup is unpredictable ahead of the 2025 launch. Kansas' sportsbooks might alter too in the taking place years.
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