Missouri sports bettors have crossed into Kansas for nearly 3 years to position legal sports betting bets. Three years from now, Kansas locals might do the same.
Key takeaways
- Kansas lawmakers halted new sportsbook license extensions until 2026, meaning possible regulatory modifications that might affect its 6 legal operators after 2027.
- Missouri is set to launch legal mobile sportsbooks in late 2025, possibly reversing cross-border wagering trends as Kansas bettors might head east.
- Future changes in Kansas could include a sole-operator model or tax walkings, impacting competition and motivating bettors to look for sports betting alternatives in Missouri.
Kansas sports wagering background
Kansas launched its very first legal mobile sportsbooks in 2022. Six books now take bets: BetMGM, sports betting Caesars, DraftKings, ESPN BET, sports betting Fanatics and FanDuel.
The capability to put legal bets in Kansas brings in bettors on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro location to Kansas to bet, with some doing so most or almost every day of the week.
That might change if Kansas legislators overthrow the current regulatory structure. Sources inform Covers some legislators want to increase the state's sports betting wagering tax earnings, 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 wagering market next year will come after Missouri goes deal with as numerous as a dozen books; if Kansas considerably cuts its offerings, sports betting it might lead KS wagerers to position bets in MO, the opposite of the current pattern
The alterations could be as easy as a tax increase. It might likewise result in a sole-source operator design some lawmakers are thinking about, one that could generate more direct revenue for the state but possibly require out some or all of the six existing sportsbooks when their licenses expire in Aug. 2027.
The legislation passed earlier this month only positions a prohibition up until 2026, implying Kansas' current sportsbooks can take bets until their licenses expire the list below year. Lawmakers may not even consider a dramatic change to the regulatory structure when they reconvene for sports betting the 2026 session, implying no perceptible impact for Sunflower State wagerers.
But the license extension restriction leaves the possibility for dramatic changes that didn't seem possible weeks back.
Missouri sportsbooks prepare to introduce
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 citizens directly authorized a tally step 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 also set to be nearly twice as many wagering options in Missouri as Kansas.
FanDuel and DraftKings contributed more than $30 million to support the tally procedure. The two U.S. market share leaders have, sports betting as anticipated, announced strategies to take bets in Missouri once certified.
Other books including BetMGM, BetRivers and Underdog likewise revealed launch strategies. Bet365 struck an offer with MLB's St. Louis Cardinals and likewise plans to accept bets in the state.
Caesars, which opposed the ballot procedure over license allotment concerns, runs three Missouri casinos and is qualified to introduce 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, reside in Illinois, could also pursue one of approximately two-dozen potential Missouri sports betting licenses.
The broader range of Show Me State wagering alternatives might bring in Kansas bettors in the Kansas City metro location to Missouri to place bets, reversing years of gambler traffic going the opposite instructions. This might speed up if the Sunflower State cuts its sportsbook lineup, 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 ballot step, which might highlight homeowners' interest in putting bets in their home state when books go live.
Missouri's sports betting lineup doubts ahead of the 2025 launch. Kansas' sportsbooks could change too in the taking place years.
