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

Key takeaways

- Kansas legislators halted new sportsbook license extensions till 2026, meaning possible regulatory changes that might affect its six legal operators after 2027.

- Missouri is set to launch legal mobile sportsbooks in late 2025, potentially reversing cross-border betting patterns as Kansas gamblers might head east.

- Future modifications in Kansas might include a sole-operator design or tax walkings, affecting competitors and motivating wagerers to seek alternatives in Missouri.

Kansas sports betting wagering background

Kansas introduced its very first legal mobile sportsbooks in 2022. Six books now take bets: BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, sports betting ESPN BET, Fanatics and FanDuel.

The ability to put legal bets in Kansas attracts gamblers on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro area to Kansas to wager, with some doing so most or almost every day of the week.

That could change if Kansas lawmakers overthrow the current regulative structure. Sources tell Covers some lawmakers wish to increase the state's sports wagering tax profits, amongst the most affordable per capita of any of the 30 states with statewide legal mobile sportsbooks.
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Kansas' likely reconsideration of its six-book legal sports betting market next year will come after Missouri goes live with as lots of as a lots books; if Kansas significantly curtails its offerings, it could lead KS wagerers to put bets in MO, the opposite of the present pattern

The modifications might be as simple as a tax increase. It could also result in a sole-source operator model some lawmakers are thinking about, one that might generate more direct revenue for the state but possibly dislodge some or all of the six existing sportsbooks once their licenses expire in Aug. 2027.

The legislation passed previously this month only places a prohibition till 2026, indicating Kansas' current sportsbooks can take bets up until their licenses expire the following year. Lawmakers might not even think about a remarkable change to the regulatory structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, implying no perceptible impact for Sunflower State gamblers.
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But the license extension prohibition leaves the possibility for dramatic changes that didn't seem practical weeks back.

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 voters narrowly authorized a tally measure to bring legal retail and sports betting online sportsbooks to the state. The vote followed years of unsuccessful efforts to legislate sports betting in the legislature.

Missouri's legal sportsbooks are set to start taking bets in the fourth quarter of 2025. There are likewise set to be nearly twice as lots of betting options in Missouri as Kansas.
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FanDuel and DraftKings contributed more than $30 million to support the tally measure. The two U.S. market share leaders have actually, as expected, revealed strategies to take bets in Missouri as soon as licensed.
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Other books including BetMGM, BetRivers and Underdog also announced launch strategies. Bet365 struck a handle MLB's St. Louis Cardinals and likewise prepares to accept bets in the state.
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Caesars, which opposed the tally measure over license allowance issues, operates 3 Missouri gambling establishments and is qualified to introduce its online book in the state. Penn Entertainment (ESPN BET) and (Bally Bet) likewise run Missouri casinos that approve them instant market access.

Other books consisting of Acid rock, reside in Illinois, might also pursue among roughly two-dozen prospective Missouri sports wagering licenses.
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The wider variety of Show Me State betting options could attract Kansas gamblers 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 curtails its sportsbook lineup, particularly if DraftKings and/or FanDuel can no longer accept bets.

Missouri voters in the Kansas City city were the most ardent fans of the sports betting ballot procedure, which could highlight citizens' interest in putting bets in their home state once books go live.

Missouri's sports betting lineup doubts ahead of the 2025 launch. Kansas' sportsbooks might change too in the taking place years.