Missouri Sports Betting Launch could Come Before Kansas Sportsbook Changes
Missouri sports bettors have crossed into Kansas for almost 3 years to position legal sports bets. Three years from now, sports betting Kansas citizens might do the exact same.
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Key takeaways
- Kansas lawmakers halted brand-new sportsbook license extensions until 2026, meaning possible regulatory modifications that could impact 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 wagering trends as Kansas gamblers may head east.
- Future changes in Kansas might consist of a sole-operator model or tax walkings, affecting competitors and motivating gamblers to look for options in Missouri.
Kansas sports betting background
Kansas introduced its very first legal mobile sportsbooks in 2022. Six books now take bets: BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, ESPN BET, Fanatics and FanDuel.
The ability to place 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 nearly every day of the week.
That could alter if Kansas legislators upend the current regulatory structure. Sources inform Covers some lawmakers wish to increase the state's sports betting tax income, among the least expensive per capita of any of the 30 states with statewide legal mobile sportsbooks.
Kansas' most likely reconsideration of its six-book legal sports betting market next year will come after Missouri goes cope with as numerous as a dozen books; if Kansas dramatically curtails its offerings, it could lead KS wagerers to place bets in MO, the opposite of the present pattern
The alterations could be as simple as a tax boost. It might also lead to a sole-source operator model some lawmakers are thinking about, one that could produce more direct earnings for the state but possibly displace some or all of the 6 existing sportsbooks when their licenses expire in Aug. 2027.
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The legislation passed previously this month only places a prohibition till 2026, indicating Kansas' current sportsbooks can take bets until their licenses end the list below year. Lawmakers might not even think about a dramatic modification to the regulatory structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, sports betting indicating no noticeable impact for Sunflower State wagerers.
But the license extension restriction leaves the possibility for significant changes that didn't seem practical weeks earlier.
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 betting legalization push ended in Nov. 2024, when citizens narrowly authorized a tally step to bring and online sportsbooks to the state. The vote followed years of unsuccessful efforts to legislate sports wagering 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 numerous wagering options in Missouri as Kansas.
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FanDuel and DraftKings contributed more than $30 million to support the tally step. The 2 U.S. market share leaders have, as expected, revealed strategies to take bets in Missouri as soon as 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 allowance 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 operate Missouri casinos that grant them immediate market gain access to.
Other books consisting of Hard Rock, reside in Illinois, might also pursue one of roughly two-dozen possible Missouri sports wagering licenses.
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The broader range of Show Me State wagering options could attract Kansas bettors in the Kansas City city area to Missouri to put bets, reversing years of gambler traffic going the opposite direction. This might speed up if the Sunflower State cuts its sportsbook roster, specifically if DraftKings and/or FanDuel can no longer accept bets.
Missouri voters in the Kansas City metro were the most ardent fans of the sports betting ballot measure, which could underscore citizens' interest in positioning bets in their home state as soon as books go live.
Missouri's sports betting lineup is unpredictable ahead of the 2025 launch. Kansas' sportsbooks might change too in the occurring years.