Missouri Sports Betting Launch might Come Before Kansas Sportsbook Changes
Missouri sports wagerers have crossed into Kansas for nearly three years to position legal sports bets. Three years from now, Kansas citizens may do the very same.
Key takeaways
- Kansas lawmakers stopped brand-new sportsbook license extensions till 2026, hinting at possible regulatory changes that might affect its six legal operators after 2027.
- Missouri is set to introduce legal mobile sportsbooks in late 2025, possibly reversing cross-border wagering patterns as Kansas gamblers may head east.
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- Future modifications in Kansas could include a sole-operator model or tax hikes, affecting competitors and motivating wagerers to seek alternatives in Missouri.
Kansas sports betting wagering background
Kansas released its very first legal in 2022. Six books now take bets: BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, ESPN BET, Fanatics and FanDuel.
The capability to position legal bets in Kansas attracts wagerers on the Missouri side of the Kansas City city location to Kansas to bet, with some doing so most or almost every day of the week.
That could change if Kansas legislators overthrow the current regulative structure. Sources inform Covers some lawmakers wish to increase the state's sports betting tax income, amongst the lowest 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 many as a lots books; if Kansas significantly cuts its offerings, it could lead KS wagerers to put bets in MO, the opposite of the current pattern
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The alterations could be as simple as a tax boost. It might likewise result in a sole-source operator design some legislators are considering, sports betting one that could produce more direct profits for the state however potentially dislodge some or all of the six existing sportsbooks once their licenses expire in Aug. 2027.
The legislation passed previously this month just puts a prohibition up until 2026, indicating Kansas' existing sportsbooks can take bets until their licenses end the list below year. Lawmakers may not even think about a significant modification to the regulatory structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, suggesting no perceptible effect for Sunflower State gamblers.
But the license extension prohibition leaves the possibility for dramatic changes that didn't seem practical weeks ago.
Missouri sportsbooks prepare to introduce
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 citizens directly approved a tally step to bring legal retail and online sportsbooks to the state. The vote followed years of failed efforts to legalize sports betting in the legislature.
Missouri's legal sportsbooks are set to begin taking bets in the 4th quarter of 2025. There are also set to be nearly two times as lots of betting alternatives in Missouri as Kansas.
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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 as soon as certified.
Other books including BetMGM, BetRivers and Underdog likewise 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 tally step over license allocation issues, runs three Missouri casinos and is eligible to launch its online book in the state. Penn Entertainment (ESPN BET) and Bally's (Bally Bet) also run Missouri casinos that grant them instant market access.
Other books including Hard Rock, live in Illinois, might also pursue among roughly two-dozen potential Missouri sports betting licenses.
The larger range of Show Me State wagering alternatives could attract Kansas bettors in the Kansas City metro area to Missouri to put bets, reversing years of wagerer traffic going the opposite direction. This might speed up if the Sunflower State cuts its sportsbook roster, especially if DraftKings and/or FanDuel can no longer accept bets.
Missouri citizens in the Kansas City metro were the most ardent fans of the sports wagering tally measure, sports betting which could highlight residents' interest in putting bets in their home state when books go live.
Missouri's sports betting lineup is unsure ahead of the 2025 launch. Kansas' sportsbooks might alter too in the ensuing years.
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