Missouri Sports Betting Launch might Come Before Kansas Sportsbook Changes
Missouri sports betting gamblers have actually crossed into Kansas for almost three years to place legal sports bets. Three years from now, Kansas residents may do the same.
Key takeaways
lawmakers stopped brand-new sportsbook license extensions till 2026, hinting at possible regulatory modifications that could affect its six legal operators after 2027.
– Missouri is set to introduce legal mobile sportsbooks in late 2025, potentially reversing cross-border wagering patterns as Kansas gamblers might head east.
– Future modifications in Kansas might include a sole-operator model or tax hikes, affecting competitors and encouraging wagerers to seek options in Missouri.
Kansas sports betting background
Kansas launched its very first legal mobile sportsbooks in 2022. Six books now take bets: BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, ESPN BET, Fanatics and FanDuel.
The ability to position legal bets in Kansas attracts wagerers on the Missouri side of the Kansas City city location to Kansas to wager, with some doing so most or nearly every day of the week.
That might alter if Kansas lawmakers overthrow the present regulative structure. Sources inform Covers some lawmakers wish to increase the state’s sports wagering tax income, amongst the least expensive per capita of any of the 30 states with statewide legal mobile sportsbooks.
Kansas’ likely reconsideration of its six-book legal sports betting market next year will follow Missouri goes deal with as many as a dozen books; if Kansas considerably reduces its offerings, it might lead KS bettors to position bets in MO, the reverse of the current pattern
The alterations could be as basic as a tax increase. It could likewise result in a sole-source operator design some lawmakers are considering, one that could create more direct earnings for the state but possibly displace some or all of the 6 existing sportsbooks once their licenses end in Aug. 2027.
The legislation passed previously this month just places a prohibition until 2026, meaning Kansas’ current sportsbooks can take bets until their licenses expire the list below year. Lawmakers might not even think about a remarkable modification to the regulatory structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, implying no noticeable effect for Sunflower State wagerers.
But the license extension restriction leaves the possibility for sports betting dramatic modifications that didn’t appear possible weeks ago.
Missouri sportsbooks prepare to release
The Kansas move comes as Missouri nears the launch of its legal sportsbooks.
Missouri’s multi-year sports betting 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 legislate sports wagering 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 wagering choices in Missouri as Kansas.
FanDuel and DraftKings contributed more than $30 million to support the tally measure. The 2 U.S. market share leaders have actually, as anticipated, announced plans to take bets in Missouri when certified.
Other books including BetMGM, BetRivers and Underdog likewise announced launch plans. Bet365 struck an offer with MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals and also plans to accept bets in the state.
Caesars, which opposed the tally step over license allowance concerns, runs three Missouri gambling establishments and is qualified to launch its online book in the state. Penn Entertainment (ESPN BET) and Bally’s (Bally Bet) likewise operate Missouri casinos that grant them instant market gain access to.
Other books including Hard Rock, live in Illinois, might also pursue one of approximately two-dozen potential Missouri sports betting licenses.
The wider selection of Show Me State betting options might attract Kansas wagerers in the Kansas City city location to Missouri to place bets, reversing years of gambler traffic going the opposite direction. This could accelerate if the Sunflower State cuts 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 supporters of the sports wagering tally measure, which might highlight homeowners’ interest in placing bets in their home state once books go live.
Missouri’s sports betting lineup doubts ahead of the 2025 launch. Kansas’ sportsbooks might alter too in the taking place years.