Missouri sports betting gamblers have actually crossed into Kansas for nearly 3 years to place legal sports bets. Three years from now, Kansas residents might do the very same.

Key takeaways

- Kansas legislators halted brand-new sportsbook license extensions until 2026, meaning possible regulatory modifications that might impact its 6 legal operators after 2027.

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

- Future changes in Kansas might consist of a sole-operator model or tax hikes, impacting competitors and motivating gamblers to look for options in Missouri.

Kansas sports betting 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 city area to Kansas to bet, with some doing so most or nearly every day of the week.

That might change if Kansas lawmakers overthrow the present regulative structure. Sources tell Covers some legislators desire to increase the state's sports betting 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 wagering market next year will follow Missouri goes live with as many as a dozen books; if Kansas considerably reduces its offerings, it might lead KS wagerers to position bets in MO, the reverse of the existing pattern

The changes might be as easy as a tax increase. It could also result in a sole-source operator design some legislators are thinking about, one that could produce more direct earnings for the state but potentially dislodge some or all of the 6 existing sportsbooks when their licenses expire in Aug. 2027.

The legislation passed previously this month just places a prohibition until 2026, indicating Kansas' existing sportsbooks can take bets till their licenses end the following year. Lawmakers might not even consider a dramatic change to the regulative structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, meaning no perceptible impact for Sunflower State bettors.

But the license extension prohibition leaves the possibility for significant modifications that didn't seem practical weeks earlier.

Missouri sportsbooks prepare to launch

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

Missouri's multi-year sports betting legalization push ended in Nov. 2024, when citizens narrowly authorized a ballot measure 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 4th quarter of 2025. There are also set to be nearly two times as lots of betting alternatives in Missouri as Kansas.

FanDuel and DraftKings contributed more than $30 million to support the tally procedure. The 2 U.S. market share leaders have, as anticipated, revealed strategies to take bets in Missouri once accredited.

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

Caesars, which opposed the tally procedure over license allocation issues, operates 3 Missouri casinos and is qualified to release its online book in the state. Penn Entertainment (ESPN BET) and Bally's (Bally Bet) likewise run Missouri gambling establishments that grant them immediate market gain access to.

Other books including Hard Rock, reside in Illinois, might also pursue among approximately two-dozen possible Missouri sports wagering licenses.

The wider variety of Show Me State wagering alternatives might draw in Kansas gamblers in the Kansas City metro area to Missouri to position bets, reversing years of wagerer traffic going the opposite direction. This might speed up if the Sunflower State cuts its sportsbook roster, specifically if DraftKings and/or FanDuel can no longer accept bets.

Missouri voters in the Kansas City metro were the most ardent fans of the sports wagering ballot step, which could highlight homeowners' interest in putting bets in their home state when books go live.

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