by Since the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act law was repealed in 2018, the United States became in the middle of the sports betting renaissance. Although it was allowed in some retail shops and offshore sports betting sites has been there for years, legal sportsbook significantly boosted the overall interest towards gambling. The pioneer in the US mobile and online betting industry is New Jersey. Following its example, lawmakers in other regions started working on the new legislation. Kansas is now getting close to become another state to legalize sports betting. Let’s look at how the legislation procedure is going on and what can the Sunflower state bettors expect in the nearest future.
Kansas sports betting legislation
Like most states, Kansas has a range of retail casinos offering all types of gambling but sports betting. Yes, today the state doesn’t allow sports wagering in any forms. You won’t find any retail shops or legal online and mobile sportsbooks. The only way to enjoy sports wagers for locals is the offshore bookmaker market. Remote bookies are not banned, but they obviously bring any revenue to the state. Besides, bettors remain unprotected by any laws when they deal with brands outside the country. These reasons are pretty enough for most states to legalize sports betting, and Kansas might not become an exception.
Kansas sports betting bill
The chances for Kansas to become the next state making retail and online sports betting legal are pretty high. The bill HB2740, released in 2022, is being now considered by the House committee, and will most likely be approved.
The first attempts to speak about sports betting in Kansas were a failure. The Governor Laura Kelly was strictly against sports betting legalization. However, she became not so flat about it since Covid-19 has significantly damaged the overall economy of the state.
If the bill is accepted, it will mean a range of new sports betting laws. They will not be much different from the ones in the other states. First, the Kansas lottery will become a gambling commission that will grant selected bookmakers with sports betting licenses for mobile, online, and retail wagering. Obviously, all the bookies will have to pay tax. At the moment, the suggested tax is 20%. It’s not that high compared to the New York legislation with a whopping 51% tax, but not so low, though. The average gambling tax is usually 10%-15%, so the current proposition must be pretty lucrative for the authorities.
The government is still discussing the bill, though. It seems like the overall tune is positive, so Kansas has all chances to welcome new sports betting facilities already the next year.
Kansas sports teams
According various surveys, Kansas locals are much keen on sports betting. One of the reasons of such enthusiasm is that Kansas hosts three teams in major leagues and thus became a home of a large fan base. Kansas City Royals (Major League Baseball), Kansas City Chiefs (National Football League), and Sporting Kansas City (Major League Soccer) are one of the top popular teams in the whole USA. Besides, Kansas has various minor sports clubs and semi-professional teams.
Kansas sports betting sites
Most likely, Kansas will welcome the same sportsbooks that already came to New Jersey, Nevada, and other states that already legalized online wagers. Here is the list of the bookies that will probably get the Kansas gambling license to launch online and mobile bets in the Sunflower state:
DraftKings. One of the two main fantasy sports providers, DraftKings is already active in Kansas. Still, it only allows participating in the daily fantasy contests in the states that hasn’t legalized sports betting yet. If Kansas succeeds with the bill, DraftKings might become the first Kansas sports betting site to open its fixed odds and lines to local bettors.
FanDuel. Another gambling giant offering online sports betting, online casino, and fantasy sports enters the new markets very quickly. With its competitive odds and nice choice of betting markets, it might attract a majority of Kansas sports bettors next year.
Points Bet. A bookie with exclusive betting options is a great alternative to traditional bookmakers. As a large betting brand, it might not miss the opportunity to show up in the new market to enlarge its customer pool.
