Missouri Sports Betting Launch might Come Before Kansas Sportsbook Changes
Missouri sports wagerers have actually crossed into Kansas for nearly 3 years to put legal sports betting bets. Three years from now, Kansas homeowners may do the exact same.
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Key takeaways
- Kansas lawmakers halted new sportsbook license extensions until 2026, meaning possible regulatory modifications that might affect its 6 legal operators after 2027.
- Missouri is set to introduce legal mobile sportsbooks in late 2025, potentially reversing cross-border betting patterns as Kansas bettors may head east.
- Future changes in Kansas could include a sole-operator design or tax hikes, impacting competitors and encouraging bettors to look for alternatives in Missouri.
Kansas sports betting background
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Kansas released its very first legal mobile sportsbooks in 2022. Six books now take bets: sports betting BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, ESPN BET, Fanatics and FanDuel.
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The ability to place legal bets in Kansas brings in gamblers on the Missouri side of the Kansas City city location to Kansas to wager, with some doing so most or nearly every day of the week.
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That might change if Kansas legislators upend the current regulatory structure. Sources inform Covers some legislators wish to increase the state's sports wagering tax profits, 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 wagering market next year will come after Missouri goes live with as lots of as a lots books; if Kansas significantly reduces its offerings, it could lead KS gamblers to position bets in MO, the reverse of the current pattern
The modifications might be as easy as a tax boost. It might also result in a sole-source operator design some legislators are considering, one that could produce more direct earnings for the state however possibly require out some or all of the 6 existing sportsbooks when their licenses end in Aug. 2027.
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The legislation passed previously this month only puts a restriction until 2026, meaning Kansas' existing sportsbooks can take bets till their licenses expire the list below year. Lawmakers might not even think about a dramatic change to the regulatory structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, suggesting no noticeable effect for Sunflower State wagerers.
But the license extension prohibition leaves the possibility for dramatic modifications that didn't seem possible weeks ago.
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Missouri sportsbooks prepare to introduce
The Kansas relocation comes as Missouri nears the launch of its legal sportsbooks.
Missouri's multi-year sports betting legalization push ended in Nov. 2024, when voters directly approved a ballot measure to bring legal retail and sports betting online sportsbooks to the state. The vote followed years of unsuccessful efforts to legalize sports wagering in the legislature.
Missouri's legal sportsbooks are set to begin taking bets in the fourth quarter of 2025. There are likewise set to be almost twice as numerous betting alternatives in Missouri as Kansas.
FanDuel and DraftKings contributed more than $30 million to support the tally step. The two U.S. market share leaders have, as anticipated, revealed strategies to take bets in Missouri when accredited.
Other books including BetMGM, BetRivers and Underdog likewise announced 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 allotment issues, runs 3 Missouri casinos and is eligible to release its online book in the state. Penn Entertainment (ESPN BET) and Bally's (Bally Bet) also run Missouri gambling establishments that give them instant market access.
Other books including Hard Rock, reside in Illinois, could also pursue one of roughly two-dozen possible Missouri sports betting wagering licenses.
The broader selection of Show Me State betting options could attract Kansas bettors in the metro area to Missouri to position bets, reversing years of gambler traffic going the opposite direction. This might accelerate if the Sunflower State reduces 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 ballot step, which might highlight citizens' interest in positioning bets in their home state once books go live.
Missouri's sports wagering lineup is unpredictable ahead of the 2025 launch. Kansas' sportsbooks might change too in the occurring years.
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