Missouri sports bettors have crossed into Kansas for nearly 3 years to put legal sports betting bets. Three years from now, Kansas locals might do the same.
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Key takeaways
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- Kansas lawmakers halted brand-new sportsbook license extensions up until 2026, meaning possible regulatory modifications that could affect its 6 legal operators after 2027.

- Missouri is set to mobile sportsbooks in late 2025, possibly reversing cross-border wagering trends as Kansas gamblers might head east.

- Future modifications in Kansas might include a sole-operator design or tax hikes, impacting competitors and encouraging wagerers to look for alternatives in Missouri.

Kansas sports betting background
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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 place legal bets in Kansas draws in gamblers on the Missouri side of the Kansas City city area to Kansas to wager, with some doing so most or almost every day of the week.

That could change if Kansas lawmakers upend the existing regulatory structure. Sources tell Covers some legislators want to increase the state's sports betting tax income, 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 betting market next year will follow Missouri goes deal with as numerous as a dozen books; if Kansas dramatically reduces its offerings, it could lead KS gamblers to position bets in MO, the reverse of the present pattern

The changes might be as basic as a tax boost. It might also lead to a sole-source operator model some legislators are considering, one that might produce more direct earnings for the state but possibly displace some or all of the 6 existing sportsbooks once their licenses expire in Aug. 2027.
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The legislation passed previously this month just places a restriction up until 2026, indicating Kansas' existing sportsbooks can take bets up 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 sports betting the 2026 session, meaning no perceptible effect for Sunflower State wagerers.

But the license extension prohibition leaves the possibility for dramatic changes that didn't appear practical weeks ago.

Missouri sportsbooks prepare to release

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

Missouri's multi-year sports wagering legalization push ended in Nov. 2024, when voters directly authorized a ballot step to bring legal retail and online sportsbooks to the state. The vote followed years of failed efforts to legislate 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 almost two times as many betting alternatives 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, as anticipated, revealed strategies to take bets in Missouri when accredited.

Other books consisting of BetMGM, BetRivers and Underdog likewise announced launch strategies. Bet365 struck a deal with MLB's St. Louis Cardinals and likewise plans to accept bets in the state.

Caesars, which opposed the tally procedure over license allocation concerns, runs 3 Missouri gambling establishments and is qualified to launch its online book in the state. Penn Entertainment (ESPN BET) and Bally's (Bally Bet) also run Missouri casinos that grant them immediate market access.

Other books including Hard Rock, reside in Illinois, might likewise pursue one of approximately two-dozen prospective Missouri sports betting licenses.

The broader variety of Show Me State betting options could bring in Kansas wagerers in the Kansas City metro area to Missouri to position bets, reversing years of bettor traffic going the opposite direction. This might accelerate if the Sunflower State cuts its sportsbook lineup, 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 wagering tally procedure, which might underscore citizens' interest in putting bets in their home state as soon as books go live.

Missouri's sports wagering lineup doubts ahead of the 2025 launch. Kansas' sportsbooks might change too in the ensuing years.
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