Missouri Sports Betting Launch could Come Before Kansas Sportsbook Changes
Missouri sports bettors have crossed into Kansas for almost 3 years to position legal sports bets. Three years from now, Kansas homeowners may do the very same.
Key takeaways
- Kansas legislators halted new sportsbook license extensions until 2026, meaning possible regulatory modifications that could impact its 6 legal operators after 2027.
- Missouri is set to release legal mobile sportsbooks in late 2025, possibly reversing cross-border betting patterns as Kansas bettors might head east.
- Future changes in Kansas might include a sole-operator design or tax hikes, affecting competitors and motivating gamblers to look for options in Missouri.
bet9ja.com
Kansas sports betting background
Kansas launched its very first legal mobile sportsbooks in 2022. Six books now take bets: BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, ESPN BET, Fanatics and FanDuel.
The capability to place legal bets in Kansas brings in wagerers on the Missouri side of the Kansas City city location to Kansas to bet, with some doing so most or nearly every day of the week.
That could change if Kansas lawmakers overthrow the existing regulatory structure. Sources tell Covers some legislators want to increase the state's sports betting wagering tax earnings, among the least expensive per capita of any of the 30 states with statewide legal mobile sportsbooks.
Kansas' likely reconsideration of its six-book legal sports betting market next year will follow Missouri goes deal with as many as a dozen books; if Kansas considerably reduces its offerings, it could lead KS gamblers to position bets in MO, the reverse of the present pattern
The alterations could be as easy as a tax increase. It might likewise lead to a sole-source operator design some legislators are thinking about, sports betting one that could generate more direct revenue for the state but potentially dislodge some or all of the 6 existing sportsbooks as soon as their licenses expire in Aug. 2027.
The legislation passed previously this month just places a prohibition up until 2026, indicating Kansas' existing sportsbooks can take bets till their licenses end the following year. Lawmakers may not even think about a dramatic change to the regulatory structure when they reconvene for sports betting the 2026 session, indicating no perceptible effect for Sunflower State wagerers.
But the license extension restriction leaves the possibility for remarkable changes that didn't seem feasible weeks back.
Missouri sportsbooks prepare to release
bet9ja.com
The Kansas move comes as Missouri nears the launch of its legal sportsbooks.
bit.ly
Missouri's multi-year sports betting legalization push ended in Nov. 2024, when voters narrowly approved a ballot step to bring legal retail and online sportsbooks to the state. The vote followed years of failed efforts to legislate sports wagering in the legislature.
Missouri's legal sportsbooks are set to start taking bets in the fourth quarter of 2025. There are likewise set to be nearly two times as lots of betting choices in Missouri as Kansas.
FanDuel and DraftKings contributed more than $30 million to support the tally measure. The 2 U.S. market share leaders have, as expected, revealed plans to take bets in Missouri when certified.
Other books including BetMGM, BetRivers and Underdog likewise announced launch strategies. Bet365 struck a deal with MLB's St. Louis Cardinals and also prepares to accept bets in the state.
Caesars, which opposed the ballot step over license allotment issues, operates 3 Missouri casinos and is qualified to introduce its online book in the state. Penn Entertainment (ESPN BET) and Bally's (Bally Bet) also run Missouri gambling establishments that approve them instant market access.
Other books consisting of Hard Rock, live in Illinois, could likewise pursue one of roughly two-dozen potential Missouri sports betting licenses.
The broader range of Show Me State wagering choices might bring in Kansas wagerers in the Kansas City metro area to Missouri to place bets, reversing years of gambler traffic going the opposite direction. This might accelerate if the Sunflower State reduces its sportsbook roster, specifically if DraftKings and/or FanDuel can no longer accept bets.
bit.ly
Missouri citizens in the Kansas City metro were the most ardent fans of the sports wagering ballot measure, which could highlight residents' interest in putting bets in their home state once books go live.
Missouri's sports betting lineup is unpredictable ahead of the 2025 launch. might alter too in the ensuing years.
bet9ja.com