Missouri sports wagerers have actually crossed into Kansas for nearly three years to position legal sports bets. Three years from now, Kansas locals may do the very same.
Key takeaways
- Kansas lawmakers halted brand-new sportsbook license extensions up until 2026, hinting at possible regulative modifications that could impact its 6 legal operators after 2027.
- Missouri is set to release legal mobile sportsbooks in late 2025, potentially reversing cross-border betting patterns as Kansas wagerers may head east.
- Future modifications in Kansas might consist of a sole-operator design or tax walkings, affecting competitors and motivating gamblers to seek alternatives in Missouri.
Kansas sports betting background
Kansas introduced its very first legal mobile sportsbooks in 2022. Six books now take bets: BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, ESPN BET, Fanatics and FanDuel.
The capability to put legal bets in Kansas draws in gamblers on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro location to Kansas to bet, sports betting with some doing so most or nearly every day of the week.
That might change if Kansas lawmakers overthrow the present regulative structure. Sources inform Covers some lawmakers want to increase the state's sports betting tax income, amongst the most affordable 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 deal with as lots of as a dozen books; if Kansas dramatically curtails its offerings, it might lead KS wagerers to place bets in MO, the reverse of the current pattern
The alterations might be as basic as a tax boost. It could likewise result in a sole-source operator design some lawmakers are thinking about, sports betting one that could generate more direct revenue for the state but possibly force out some or all of the 6 existing sportsbooks once their licenses expire in Aug. 2027.
The legislation passed previously this month just places a restriction until 2026, meaning Kansas' current sportsbooks can take bets until their licenses end the following year. Lawmakers may not even think about a remarkable change to the regulatory structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, implying no noticeable impact for Sunflower State bettors.
But the license extension restriction leaves the possibility for significant modifications that didn't seem possible weeks ago.
Missouri sportsbooks prepare to release
The Kansas relocation comes as Missouri nears the launch of its legal sportsbooks.
Missouri's multi-year sports wagering legalization push ended in Nov. 2024, when voters narrowly approved a ballot measure to bring legal retail and online sportsbooks to the state. The vote followed years of unsuccessful efforts to legislate sports betting in the legislature.
Missouri's legal sportsbooks are set to start taking bets in the fourth quarter of 2025. There are also set to be nearly twice as lots of betting choices 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 actually, as expected, revealed strategies to take bets in Missouri once certified.
Other books consisting of BetMGM, BetRivers and sports betting Underdog also announced launch plans. Bet365 struck a handle MLB's St. Louis Cardinals and sports betting likewise plans to accept bets in the state.
Caesars, which opposed the tally step over license allocation concerns, sports betting runs three Missouri casinos and is eligible to release its online book in the state. Penn Entertainment (ESPN BET) and Bally's (Bally Bet) also operate Missouri gambling establishments that approve them immediate market gain access to.
Other books consisting of Acid rock, live in Illinois, could likewise pursue one of approximately two-dozen prospective Missouri sports wagering licenses.
The larger selection of Show Me State wagering alternatives might attract Kansas wagerers in the Kansas City metro area to Missouri to position bets, sports betting reversing years of bettor traffic going the opposite direction. This could speed up if the Sunflower State curtails its sportsbook roster, especially if DraftKings and/or FanDuel can no longer accept bets.
Missouri voters in the Kansas City metro were the most ardent supporters of the sports betting wagering ballot procedure, which could underscore residents' interest in placing bets in their home state when books go live.
Missouri's sports betting lineup is uncertain ahead of the 2025 launch. Kansas' sportsbooks could change too in the taking place years.
