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Missouri sports wagerers have crossed into Kansas for almost 3 years to put legal sports betting bets. Three years from now, Kansas homeowners might do the same.
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Key takeaways
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- Kansas legislators stopped brand-new sportsbook license extensions until 2026, hinting at possible regulatory modifications that might affect its six legal operators after 2027.

- Missouri is set to introduce legal mobile sportsbooks in late 2025, potentially reversing cross-border wagering as Kansas gamblers may head east.

- Future changes in Kansas could include a sole-operator model or tax hikes, affecting competitors and motivating wagerers to seek alternatives in Missouri.

Kansas sports wagering background

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

The capability to position legal bets in Kansas brings in bettors on the Missouri side of the Kansas City city location to Kansas to wager, with some doing so most or almost every day of the week.

That could alter if Kansas lawmakers overthrow the current regulatory structure. Sources tell Covers some lawmakers wish to increase the state's sports betting tax earnings, among the most affordable per capita of any of the 30 states with statewide legal mobile sportsbooks.

Kansas' most likely reconsideration of its six-book legal sports betting wagering market next year will follow Missouri goes live with as many as a lots books; if Kansas drastically curtails its offerings, sports betting it might lead KS bettors to place bets in MO, sports betting the opposite of the present pattern
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The alterations might be as simple as a tax boost. It might also result in a sole-source operator model some lawmakers are thinking about, one that might produce more direct revenue for sports betting the state however possibly require out some or all of the 6 existing sportsbooks when their licenses end in Aug. 2027.

The legislation passed earlier this month just positions a prohibition till 2026, implying Kansas' current sportsbooks can take bets till their licenses expire the following year. Lawmakers may not even consider a significant change to the regulative structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, suggesting no perceptible impact for Sunflower State bettors.

But the license extension restriction leaves the possibility for significant modifications that didn't appear practical weeks back.

Missouri sportsbooks prepare to introduce

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

Missouri's multi-year sports betting legalization push ended in Nov. 2024, when voters narrowly approved a ballot step to bring legal retail and online sportsbooks to the state. The vote followed years of unsuccessful efforts to legalize sports betting 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 nearly two times as lots of wagering choices in Missouri as Kansas.

FanDuel and DraftKings contributed more than $30 million to support the ballot step. The two U.S. market share leaders have, as anticipated, revealed plans to take bets in Missouri when licensed.

Other books including BetMGM, BetRivers and sports betting Underdog also revealed launch plans. Bet365 struck a handle MLB's St. Louis Cardinals and likewise prepares to accept bets in the state.

Caesars, which opposed the ballot step over license allowance concerns, operates 3 Missouri casinos and is qualified to release its online book in the state. Penn Entertainment (ESPN BET) and Bally's (Bally Bet) also operate Missouri gambling establishments that give them instant market gain access to.

Other books consisting of Acid rock, live in Illinois, might likewise pursue among approximately two-dozen prospective Missouri sports betting licenses.

The wider selection of Show Me State wagering options could attract Kansas bettors in the Kansas City metro area to Missouri to place bets, reversing years of gambler traffic going the opposite direction. This might accelerate if the Sunflower State curtails its sportsbook roster, sports betting specifically if DraftKings and/or FanDuel can no longer accept bets.
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Missouri citizens in the Kansas City metro were the most ardent advocates of the sports wagering tally step, which might underscore homeowners' interest in putting bets in their home state as soon as books go live.

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