Missouri sports gamblers have crossed into Kansas for sports betting almost three years to place legal sports bets. Three years from now, may do the very same.
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Key takeaways

- Kansas lawmakers halted brand-new sportsbook license extensions up until 2026, hinting at possible regulatory modifications that could impact its 6 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 could include a sole-operator model or tax hikes, affecting competitors and motivating gamblers to seek alternatives in Missouri.

Kansas sports betting wagering background

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

The ability to put legal bets in Kansas draws in wagerers on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro location to Kansas to wager, with some doing so most or nearly every day of the week.

That might change if Kansas lawmakers upend the existing regulatory structure. Sources tell Covers some legislators want to increase the state's sports betting tax profits, amongst the most affordable per capita of any of the 30 states with statewide legal mobile sportsbooks.

Kansas' likely reconsideration of its six-book legal sports wagering market next year will come after Missouri goes live with as numerous as a dozen books; if Kansas drastically curtails its offerings, it could lead KS gamblers to put bets in MO, the reverse of the present pattern

The alterations might be as easy as a tax increase. It might also lead to a sole-source operator design some legislators are thinking about, one that might generate more direct profits for the state but potentially displace some or all of the six existing sportsbooks when their licenses end in Aug. 2027.

The legislation passed previously this month just positions a prohibition up until 2026, implying Kansas' current sportsbooks can take bets until their licenses end the following year. Lawmakers might not even consider a dramatic change to the regulative structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, suggesting no perceptible impact for Sunflower State wagerers.
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But the license extension restriction leaves the possibility for significant changes that didn't appear practical weeks back.

Missouri sportsbooks prepare to release

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

Missouri's multi-year sports betting legalization push ended in Nov. 2024, when voters directly approved a ballot step to bring legal retail and 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 also set to be almost twice as numerous betting alternatives 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 plans to take bets in Missouri once accredited.
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Other books consisting of BetMGM, BetRivers and Underdog also revealed launch strategies. Bet365 struck a handle MLB's St. Louis Cardinals and likewise plans to accept bets in the state.
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Caesars, which opposed the tally step over license allotment concerns, runs 3 Missouri casinos and is eligible to release its online book in the state. Penn Entertainment (ESPN BET) and Bally's (Bally Bet) likewise operate Missouri casinos that approve them immediate market access.

Other books including Acid rock, live in Illinois, might likewise pursue among roughly two-dozen prospective Missouri sports wagering licenses.

The wider range of Show Me State wagering choices might attract Kansas wagerers in the Kansas City metro area to Missouri to place bets, reversing years of gambler traffic going the opposite instructions. 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 metro were the most ardent advocates of the sports betting tally procedure, which could underscore citizens' interest in placing bets in their home state as soon as books go live.

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