Missouri Sports Betting Launch could Come Before Kansas Sportsbook Changes
Missouri sports betting gamblers have actually crossed into Kansas for almost three years to position legal sports betting bets. Three years from now, Kansas citizens might do the same.
Key takeaways
- Kansas lawmakers stopped new sportsbook license extensions till 2026, hinting at possible regulatory changes that could impact its six legal operators after 2027.
- Missouri is set to release legal mobile sportsbooks in late 2025, potentially reversing cross-border betting trends as Kansas bettors might head east.
- Future changes in Kansas might include a sole-operator model or tax walkings, affecting competitors and motivating bettors to look for options in Missouri.
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Kansas sports wagering background
Kansas launched its first legal mobile sportsbooks in 2022. Six books now take bets: BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, ESPN BET, Fanatics and FanDuel.
The ability to put legal bets in Kansas brings in wagerers on the Missouri side of the Kansas City to Kansas to wager, with some doing so most or nearly every day of the week.
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That could alter if Kansas lawmakers overthrow the existing regulative structure. Sources tell Covers some lawmakers 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' likely reconsideration of its six-book legal sports betting market next year will follow Missouri goes deal with as numerous as a lots books; if Kansas significantly reduces its offerings, it might lead KS wagerers to place bets in MO, the opposite of the current pattern
The changes could be as simple as a tax increase. It might also result in a sole-source operator model some legislators are thinking about, one that could create more direct earnings for the state but possibly displace some or all of the 6 existing sportsbooks as soon as their licenses end in Aug. 2027.
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The legislation passed previously this month just positions a restriction up until 2026, meaning Kansas' existing sportsbooks can take bets till their licenses expire the list below year. Lawmakers may not even consider a remarkable change to the regulative structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, suggesting no perceptible effect for Sunflower State gamblers.
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But the license extension prohibition leaves the possibility for remarkable modifications that didn't appear possible weeks earlier.
Missouri sportsbooks prepare to introduce
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The Kansas move comes as Missouri nears the launch of its legal sportsbooks.
Missouri's multi-year sports wagering legalization push ended in Nov. 2024, when citizens narrowly approved a ballot procedure to bring legal retail and online sportsbooks to the state. The vote followed years of unsuccessful efforts to legalize sports betting in the legislature.
Missouri's legal sportsbooks are set to start taking bets in the 4th quarter of 2025. There are likewise set to be almost twice as many wagering options in Missouri as Kansas.
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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 strategies to take bets in Missouri once accredited.
Other books including BetMGM, BetRivers and Underdog likewise revealed launch plans. Bet365 struck a handle MLB's St. Louis Cardinals and likewise prepares to accept bets in the state.
Caesars, which opposed the ballot measure over license allowance concerns, runs 3 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 casinos that approve them instant market access.
Other books including Acid rock, sports betting live in Illinois, could also pursue one of roughly two-dozen prospective Missouri sports betting licenses.
The larger variety of Show Me State wagering options could draw in Kansas bettors in the Kansas City metro area to Missouri to place bets, reversing years of bettor traffic going the opposite instructions. This might speed up if the Sunflower State cuts its sportsbook lineup, particularly if DraftKings and/or FanDuel can no longer accept bets.
Missouri voters in the Kansas City city were the most ardent fans of the sports betting ballot procedure, which might underscore locals' interest in positioning bets in their home state once books go live.
Missouri's sports wagering lineup is uncertain ahead of the 2025 launch. Kansas' sportsbooks might change too in the occurring years.