Missouri sports gamblers have actually crossed into Kansas for nearly three years to position legal sports betting bets. Three years from now, Kansas locals may do the same.

Key takeaways

- Kansas legislators stopped brand-new sportsbook license extensions until 2026, meaning possible regulatory modifications that might impact its 6 legal operators after 2027.

- Missouri is set to introduce legal mobile sportsbooks in late 2025, possibly reversing cross-border wagering patterns as Kansas wagerers may head east.
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- Future modifications in Kansas could include a sole-operator model or sports betting tax hikes, affecting and encouraging wagerers to seek alternatives in Missouri.

Kansas sports betting wagering background

Kansas introduced 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 gamblers on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro area to Kansas to bet, with some doing so most or sports betting almost every day of the week.

That might alter if Kansas legislators upend the existing regulatory structure. Sources tell Covers some lawmakers desire to increase the state's sports betting wagering tax income, among 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 follow Missouri goes live with as numerous as a dozen books; if Kansas significantly cuts its offerings, it might lead KS bettors to position bets in MO, the opposite of the current pattern

The changes could be as basic as a tax increase. It might also lead to a sole-source operator sports betting model some legislators are thinking about, one that might produce more direct income for the state but possibly force out some or all of the 6 existing sportsbooks as soon as their licenses expire in Aug. 2027.
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The legislation passed previously this month just places a restriction till 2026, implying Kansas' current sportsbooks can take bets up until their licenses end the following year. Lawmakers might not even think about a remarkable change to the regulatory structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, meaning no noticeable impact for Sunflower State bettors.

But the license extension restriction leaves the possibility for significant modifications that didn't appear possible weeks earlier.

Missouri sportsbooks prepare to launch

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 voters directly approved a tally measure to bring legal retail and online sportsbooks to the state. The vote followed years of unsuccessful efforts to legalize sports betting 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 almost twice as numerous betting alternatives in Missouri as Kansas.

FanDuel and DraftKings contributed more than $30 million to support the ballot measure. The 2 U.S. market share leaders have, as expected, revealed strategies to take bets in Missouri when licensed.

Other books consisting of BetMGM, BetRivers and Underdog also announced launch strategies. Bet365 struck an offer with MLB's St. Louis Cardinals and also prepares to accept bets in the state.
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Caesars, which opposed the tally step over license allocation issues, operates three Missouri gambling establishments and is eligible to launch its online book in the state. Penn Entertainment (ESPN BET) and Bally's (Bally Bet) likewise run Missouri gambling establishments that give them immediate market access.
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Other books including Acid rock, live in Illinois, could also pursue one of roughly two-dozen possible Missouri sports wagering licenses.
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The broader selection of Show Me State wagering options might bring in Kansas gamblers in the Kansas City metro area to Missouri to position bets, reversing years of gambler traffic going the opposite instructions. This might speed up if the Sunflower State curtails its sportsbook roster, especially if DraftKings and/or FanDuel can no longer accept bets.

Missouri citizens in the Kansas City city were the most ardent advocates of the sports wagering tally measure, which might highlight citizens' interest in positioning bets in their home state as soon as books go live.

Missouri's sports betting wagering lineup doubts ahead of the 2025 launch. Kansas' sportsbooks might alter too in the ensuing years.