Missouri sports bettors have crossed into Kansas for almost 3 years to place legal sports betting bets. Three years from now, Kansas homeowners might do the same.

Key takeaways

- Kansas legislators halted new sportsbook license extensions until 2026, hinting at possible regulative modifications that could impact its six legal operators after 2027.

- Missouri is set to release legal mobile sportsbooks in late 2025, possibly reversing cross-border betting patterns as Kansas wagerers might head east.

- Future modifications in Kansas could consist of a sole-operator design or tax hikes, affecting competitors and sports betting motivating gamblers to look for alternatives in Missouri.

Kansas sports betting background

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

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

That could alter if Kansas lawmakers upend the existing regulatory structure. Sources tell Covers some legislators desire to increase the state's sports betting tax revenue, 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 follow Missouri goes deal with as lots of as a dozen books; if Kansas considerably reduces its offerings, it could lead KS bettors to position bets in MO, the opposite of the current pattern

The alterations could be as simple as a tax boost. It could likewise result in a sole-source operator model some lawmakers are thinking about, one that could produce more direct revenue for the state but possibly dislodge some or all of the 6 existing sportsbooks as soon as their licenses expire in Aug. 2027.

The legislation passed previously this month just puts a prohibition until 2026, suggesting Kansas' existing sportsbooks can take bets till their licenses expire the following year. Lawmakers may not even think about a remarkable modification to the regulative structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, implying no noticeable impact for Sunflower State wagerers.

But the license extension restriction leaves the possibility for significant modifications that didn't seem 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 wagering legalization push ended in Nov. 2024, when citizens narrowly approved a ballot step to bring legal retail and online sportsbooks to the state. The vote followed years of failed efforts to legalize 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 nearly two times as numerous 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 actually, as anticipated, revealed plans to take bets in Missouri once licensed.

Other books consisting of 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 measure over license allocation concerns, runs three Missouri gambling establishments and is eligible to launch its online book in the state. Penn Entertainment (ESPN BET) and Bally's (Bally Bet) also operate Missouri gambling establishments that approve them immediate market access.

Other books consisting of Acid rock, live in Illinois, could also pursue one of roughly two-dozen possible Missouri sports wagering licenses.

The wider array of Show Me State wagering choices could draw in Kansas wagerers in the Kansas City metro area to Missouri to position bets, reversing years of gambler traffic going the opposite instructions. This could accelerate if the Sunflower State reduces its sportsbook lineup, especially 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 betting wagering ballot procedure, which could highlight homeowners' interest in placing bets in their home state when books go live.

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