Kansas

Since its launch in 2022, the sports betting market in Kansas has been steadily growing into a strong one. Currently, six mobile betting apps are available to complement the retail betting offered, and the number of online operators could increase over the coming years.

There aren’t many limitations when it comes to what Kansas bettors can wager on legally. Both professional and collegiate sports are available to bet on in the state, and residents even have the option to bet on in-state colleges.

Daily fantasy sports apps are also available for residents as well. There is no law that currently regulates DFS products in the state, but that still allows for big name operators to offer services. Some of these operators include PrizePicks, OwnersBox, FanDuel DFS, DraftKings DFS, and Boom Fantasy.

With horse racing and greyhound racing also legally offered to bettors in KS, the two main things bettors in the state cannot wager on are politics and eSports.

Online sports betting in The Sunflower State

The push to make sports betting legal in Kansas actually came before the US Supreme Court overturned PASPA in 2018. Sports betting was a consistent topic of discussion in Kansas, but there were consistent problems and arguments on the matter starting in 2018. Early on, there was discourse on the tax rate, which the state’s lottery wanted to be 50%, which obviously did not appeal to the casinos.

Even after the tax rate was figured out, the pandemic caused problems, and Governor Laura Kelly seemed to oppose the idea of legal sports betting, which gave lawmakers yet another hurdle to jump through. It wasn’t until 2022 that SB 84 was agreed upon by both the House and Senate, which allowed the law to be signed on May 12th. This timing worked out well for the state since it gave the casinos a chance to make partnerships, which gave way to the six online operators officially launching on September 1st of that year.

Prior to this groundbreaking decision, there were already ten casinos in the state, but initially, only the four that were regulated by the state had permission to partner with online operators. This allowed a total of 12 online operators to enter the state market, but currently, only six mobile sportsbook operators are active.

While six operators may not seem like a lot compared to other states with legal sports betting, residents in Kansas have access to the biggest names in the market right now. These sportsbooks include FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars, ESPN Bet, and the Fanatics Sportsbook (formerly PointsBet).

Thanks to a recent change in the bill that now allows tribal casinos to offer online sports betting, the market should only continue to grow, with more operators potentially entering the state as soon as 2024.

All legal KS sports betting apps in 2024 (from newest to oldest):

Sports betting & gambling legislation in KS

The legal betting age in Kansas varies depending on what a customer is looking to bet on. For sports betting, both online and retail, bettors must be 21 years old to place a legal wager. However, for horse racing and anything related to the lottery, residents can be 18 years old to participate.

There are two governing bodies for rules and regulations of gambling in the state. The Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission overlooks all advertisements for sports betting, while the Kansas Lottery is in charge of regulations and licenses.

Tax-wise, the tax rate on gambling varies depending on income and tax bracket. For the time being, the tax scale for this matter has rates that range between 3.1% and 5.7%. All big gambling wins are also subject to a flat rate of 5%, which is withheld by the Kansas Lottery.

A state lottery is one way that Kansas has built up its gambling market. While sports betting, in-person casinos, horse race betting, and the lottery are fully available, markets like online casinos and online poker remain illegal in KS, and there are no signs of that changing in the near future.

Most recent updates from the KS sports betting scene

• May 17, 2024: The Kansas State Wildcats have landed a commitment from transfer center Achor Achor. The Wildcats are currently (+8000) to win the National Championship.

• April 28, 2024: Dylan Edwards, the top running back in the transfer portal, has committed to the Kansas State Wildcats. Currently, the Wildcats' win total is set at 9.5, and they are the favorites to win the Big 12 Title game at (+350).

• April 27, 2024: Hunter Dickinson, a vital member of the Kansas Jayhawks basketball team, announced that he is returning for one more season.

• December 15, 2023: Kansas achieves a new sports betting record in November, with a total wager of $260.9 million, marking the third consecutive monthly record. This figure exceeded the previous record of $249.7 million set in October by 4.5% and was 40% higher than in November of last year. Most of the wagers, $251.7 million, were placed online.

• September 19, 2023: Kambi Group partners with Prairie Band Casino & Resort, owned by the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, to launch Kansas's first tribal sportsbook, which Kambi's sports betting technology will power.

• September 1, 2023: Fanatics Betting and Gaming (FBG) completes the acquisition of PointsBet's US business in eight states, including Kansas. FBG has paid the initial installment of $175 million out of the total $225 million purchase price for this acquisition.

In-person sports betting sites and locations

There are ten casinos in Kansas, six of which are tribal, and the other four are commercial. When SB 84 officially went into law on July 1, 2022, the four commercial casinos in the state, one of which was owned by the state, became legally allowed to partner with online operators and offer retail sports betting.

It took until May 2023 for the state to change the sports betting law to allow tribal casinos to offer online sports betting. As a result, the Prarie Band Casino & Resort became the first tribal casino in the state to open a retail sportsbook on January 4, 2024.

Sports betting in neighboring states

Two of the four states bordering Kansas offer legalized sports betting. Colorado and Nebraska both offer some form of sports betting, while Missouri and Oklahoma are still struggling to get a bill passed despite consistent efforts.

Click on the respective state below to get more information on what is offered in both CO and NE or to find out what is standing in the way of the other states passing a sports betting bill.

Sports betting revenue impact on Kansas' economy

Kansas has yet to be in the legal sports betting market for two full years, but they have still seen solid numbers when it comes to handle and revenue. In September and October of 2023, the state surpassed over $215 million in handle, which marks the first time in the state’s history they’ve cleared that number in consecutive months.

With recent legislation that allows tribal casinos to open sportsbooks, Kansas should continue to see gradual growth in monthly handle, revenue, and tax income. Of course, this may take time since the first tribal casino to open a sportsbook opened in early 2024.

While the Kansas licensing fee is unknown, we do know that there is a 10% tax rate on retail and online betting, which is reasonable compared to the rest of the market. There are four commercial casinos across the state, each of which can partner with a maximum of three online operators.

However, there is a way that a casino could partner with more online skins, as they can request another partnership if it is through a pro sports team in the state. Aside from online operators, casinos can also partner with 50 retailers.

Top 3 sportsbooks in the state in March 2024:

1. DraftKings: Handle: $98.2m, Revenue: $4.7m

2. FanDuel: Handle: $70.2, Revenue: $2.1m

3. Caesars Sportsbook: Handle: $43.6m, Revenue: $0

Kansas sports betting record months:

• Sports betting handle: November 2023 ($260,937,284)

• Revenue: December 2023 ($30,913,033)

• Tax income: December 2023 ($2,005,261)

KS sports betting revenue in 2024