Missouri Sports Betting Launch could Come Before Kansas Sportsbook Changes
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Missouri sports betting bettors have crossed into Kansas for almost 3 years to put legal sports bets. Three years from now, sports betting Kansas residents might do the exact same.
Key takeaways
- Kansas legislators halted brand-new sportsbook license extensions till 2026, hinting at possible regulatory changes that might affect its 6 legal operators after 2027.
- Missouri is set to introduce legal mobile sportsbooks in late 2025, possibly reversing cross-border wagering trends as Kansas wagerers may head east.
- Future changes in Kansas could include a sole-operator design or tax walkings, impacting competition and encouraging wagerers to seek alternatives in Missouri.
Kansas sports wagering background
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Kansas launched its 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 draws in gamblers on the Missouri side of the Kansas City city area to Kansas to wager, with some doing so most or nearly every day of the week.
That might alter if Kansas lawmakers upend the current regulatory structure. Sources inform Covers some legislators desire to increase the state's sports betting tax income, 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 live with as numerous as a lots books; if Kansas dramatically curtails its offerings, it might lead KS wagerers to position bets in MO, the opposite of the present pattern
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The modifications might be as simple as a tax increase. It could also result in a sole-source operator model some legislators are considering, one that might generate more direct income for the state but possibly displace some or all of the six existing sportsbooks as soon as their licenses expire in Aug. 2027.
The legislation passed earlier this month just places a restriction up until 2026, suggesting Kansas' current sportsbooks can take bets till their licenses end the following year. Lawmakers may not even consider a dramatic modification to the regulative structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, indicating no perceptible effect for Sunflower State bettors.
But the license extension prohibition leaves the possibility for dramatic changes that didn't seem feasible weeks ago.
Missouri sportsbooks prepare to introduce
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The Kansas move comes as Missouri nears the launch of its legal sportsbooks.
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Missouri's multi-year sports wagering legalization push ended in Nov. 2024, when voters directly approved a ballot step to bring legal retail and online sportsbooks to the state. The vote followed years of unsuccessful efforts to legislate sports betting wagering in the legislature.
Missouri's legal sportsbooks are set to start taking bets in the 4th quarter of 2025. There are also set to be nearly twice as many wagering 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 anticipated, revealed plans to take bets in Missouri once licensed.
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Other books consisting of BetMGM, BetRivers and Underdog also 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 ballot step over license allocation concerns, operates three Missouri gambling establishments 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 give them immediate market gain access to.
Other books consisting of Acid rock, reside in Illinois, might also pursue among approximately two-dozen possible Missouri sports betting licenses.
The broader selection of Show Me State betting choices might attract Kansas gamblers in the Kansas City city location to Missouri to put bets, reversing years of wagerer traffic going the opposite direction. This could accelerate if the Sunflower State cuts its sportsbook roster, sports betting particularly if DraftKings and/or FanDuel can no longer accept bets.
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Missouri voters in the Kansas City metro were the most ardent fans of the sports betting ballot step, which might highlight residents' interest in placing bets in their home state as soon as books go live.
Missouri's sports wagering lineup doubts ahead of the 2025 launch. might alter too in the taking place years.