Missouri sports betting gamblers have actually crossed into Kansas for almost 3 years to position legal sports bets. Three years from now, Kansas locals might do the same.

Key takeaways

- Kansas lawmakers halted new sportsbook license extensions until 2026, hinting at possible regulatory changes that could affect its six legal operators after 2027.

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

- Future changes in Kansas could include a sole-operator design or tax walkings, affecting competition and motivating wagerers to look for options in Missouri.

Kansas sports betting wagering background

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 attracts gamblers 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 could change if Kansas lawmakers overthrow the present regulative structure. Sources tell Covers some lawmakers want to increase the state's sports wagering tax earnings, 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 betting market next year will follow Missouri goes live with as many as a dozen books; if Kansas drastically reduces its offerings, it could lead KS bettors to place bets in MO, the reverse of the present pattern

The alterations could be as simple as a tax increase. It could likewise result in a sole-source operator model some lawmakers are considering, one that could create more direct profits for the state but possibly displace 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 up until 2026, meaning Kansas' current sportsbooks can take bets up until their licenses expire the list below year. Lawmakers may not even consider a remarkable change to the regulative structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, meaning no perceptible effect for Sunflower State bettors.

But the license extension restriction leaves the possibility for significant changes that didn't seem feasible weeks earlier.

Missouri sportsbooks prepare to launch

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

Missouri's multi-year sports betting 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 legalize sports wagering in the legislature.

Missouri's legal sportsbooks are set to start taking bets in the 4th quarter of 2025. There are likewise set to be almost two times as lots of wagering alternatives in Missouri as Kansas.

FanDuel and DraftKings contributed more than $30 million to support the ballot step. The 2 U.S. market share leaders have actually, as anticipated, announced strategies to take bets in Missouri when accredited.

Other books consisting of BetMGM, BetRivers and Underdog likewise revealed 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, operates 3 Missouri gambling establishments and is qualified to release its online book in the state. Penn Entertainment (ESPN BET) and Bally's (Bally Bet) also run Missouri casinos that grant them instant market access.

Other books including Acid rock, reside in Illinois, might likewise pursue among approximately two-dozen potential Missouri sports wagering licenses.

The larger array of Show Me State betting alternatives might attract Kansas bettors in the Kansas City city area to Missouri to place bets, reversing years of wagerer traffic going the opposite direction. This could accelerate if the Sunflower State curtails its sportsbook lineup, especially if DraftKings and/or FanDuel can no longer accept bets.

Missouri voters in the Kansas City city were the most ardent supporters of the sports betting ballot procedure, sports betting which could underscore residents' interest in putting bets in their home state when books go live.

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