Missouri sports gamblers have actually crossed into Kansas for almost 3 years to position legal sports bets. Three years from now, Kansas locals may do the exact same.

Key takeaways

- Kansas lawmakers halted new sportsbook license extensions till 2026, hinting at possible regulatory modifications that could affect its 6 legal operators after 2027.
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- Missouri is set to launch legal mobile sportsbooks in late 2025, potentially reversing cross-border betting patterns as Kansas wagerers may head east.

- Future changes in Kansas might include a sole-operator design or tax hikes, impacting competition and wagerers to look for alternatives in Missouri.
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Kansas sports 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 draws 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 alter if Kansas lawmakers overthrow the current regulative structure. Sources tell Covers some legislators wish to increase the state's sports betting tax revenue, amongst 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 wagering market next year will come after Missouri goes deal with as lots of as a dozen books; if Kansas significantly curtails its offerings, it could lead KS bettors to place bets in MO, the opposite of the existing pattern

The changes could be as simple as a tax boost. It could likewise lead to a sole-source operator design some legislators are considering, one that could produce more direct profits for the state however 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 positions a restriction till 2026, suggesting Kansas' current sportsbooks can take bets up until their licenses end the following year. Lawmakers may not even think about a remarkable modification to the regulative structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, implying no perceptible effect for Sunflower State wagerers.

But the license extension prohibition leaves the possibility for dramatic modifications that didn't appear possible weeks back.

Missouri sportsbooks prepare to release

The Kansas move comes as Missouri nears the launch of its legal sportsbooks.

Missouri's multi-year sports betting legalization push ended in Nov. 2024, when voters directly 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.
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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 many wagering choices in Missouri as Kansas.

FanDuel and DraftKings contributed more than $30 million to support the tally measure. The two U.S. market share leaders have actually, sports betting as anticipated, announced plans to take bets in Missouri once certified.
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Other books consisting of BetMGM, BetRivers and Underdog likewise announced launch strategies. Bet365 struck a handle MLB's St. Louis Cardinals and also plans to accept bets in the state.

Caesars, which opposed the tally measure over license allocation concerns, operates three Missouri gambling establishments and is qualified to release its online book in the state. Penn Entertainment (ESPN BET) and Bally's (Bally Bet) also operate Missouri gambling establishments that approve them instant market gain access to.
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Other books consisting of Acid rock, reside in Illinois, could likewise pursue among approximately two-dozen potential Missouri sports betting licenses.

The wider array of Show Me State wagering options might draw in Kansas gamblers in the Kansas City metro area to Missouri to place bets, reversing years of bettor traffic going the opposite instructions. This could accelerate if the Sunflower State reduces its sportsbook roster, specifically 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 betting wagering ballot step, which might highlight citizens' interest in putting bets in their home state when books go live.

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