Missouri Sports Betting Launch could Come Before Kansas Sportsbook Changes

Missouri sports bettors have actually crossed into Kansas for nearly 3 years to position legal sports bets. Three years from now, Kansas homeowners might do the exact same.


Key takeaways


- Kansas legislators halted new sportsbook license extensions till 2026, hinting at possible regulative modifications that might affect its 6 legal operators after 2027.


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


- Future changes in Kansas might include a sole-operator design or tax walkings, affecting competition and motivating gamblers to look for alternatives in Missouri.


Kansas sports betting background


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


The capability to position legal bets in Kansas brings in gamblers 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 might change if Kansas legislators overthrow the existing regulative structure. Sources tell Covers some legislators desire to increase the state's sports wagering tax revenue, among the lowest 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 live with as many as a dozen books; if Kansas drastically curtails its offerings, it could lead KS bettors to place bets in MO, the opposite of the existing pattern


The modifications could be as easy as a tax increase.