Missouri sports wagerers have crossed into Kansas for nearly three years to position legal sports bets. Three years from now, Kansas locals may do the same.

Key takeaways

- Kansas legislators stopped new sportsbook license extensions till 2026, meaning possible regulative modifications that could impact its 6 legal operators after 2027.

- Missouri is set to launch legal mobile sportsbooks in late 2025, possibly reversing cross-border wagering trends as Kansas wagerers may head east.

- Future modifications 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 released its very first legal mobile sportsbooks in 2022. Six books now take bets: BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, ESPN BET, Fanatics and FanDuel.
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The ability to position legal bets in Kansas attracts bettors on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro location to Kansas to bet, with some doing so most or nearly every day of the week.

That might alter if Kansas lawmakers upend the current regulative structure. Sources tell Covers some legislators want to increase the state's sports betting wagering tax income, amongst the most affordable per capita of any of the 30 states with statewide legal mobile sportsbooks.
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Kansas' likely reconsideration of its six-book legal sports wagering market next year will come after Missouri goes cope with as many as a lots books; if Kansas significantly curtails its offerings, it might lead KS bettors to put bets in MO, the opposite of the existing pattern
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The alterations could be as simple as a tax increase. It could likewise result in a sole-source operator design some lawmakers are about, one that could create more direct income for the state however potentially dislodge some or all of the six existing sportsbooks when their licenses expire in Aug. 2027.

The legislation passed previously this month only positions a prohibition till 2026, suggesting Kansas' existing sportsbooks can take bets until their licenses end the following year. Lawmakers might not even think about a remarkable modification to the regulative structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, implying no noticeable effect for Sunflower State wagerers.
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But the license extension restriction leaves the possibility for remarkable changes that didn't appear practical weeks ago.
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Missouri sportsbooks prepare to release

The Kansas move comes as Missouri nears the launch of its legal sportsbooks.
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Missouri's multi-year sports betting wagering legalization push ended in Nov. 2024, when voters directly authorized a tally procedure to bring legal retail and online sportsbooks to the state. The vote followed years of failed 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 also set to be nearly two times as many betting alternatives in Missouri as Kansas.

FanDuel and DraftKings contributed more than $30 million to support the ballot measure. The two U.S. market share leaders have, sports betting as anticipated, announced plans to take bets in Missouri once licensed.

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

Caesars, which opposed the tally measure over license allotment concerns, runs 3 Missouri casinos and is qualified to launch its online book in the state. Penn Entertainment (ESPN BET) and Bally's (Bally Bet) also operate Missouri gambling establishments that give them immediate market access.

Other books including Hard Rock, reside in Illinois, might likewise pursue among approximately two-dozen potential Missouri sports betting licenses.
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The wider variety of Show Me State betting alternatives might draw in Kansas gamblers in the Kansas City metro location to Missouri to put bets, reversing years of wagerer traffic going the opposite direction. This might accelerate if the Sunflower State reduces its sportsbook roster, specifically if DraftKings and/or FanDuel can no longer accept bets.

Missouri voters in the Kansas City city were the most ardent advocates of the sports betting tally measure, which might highlight homeowners' interest in putting bets in their home state when books go live.

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