It’s official: Sports betting’s legal in Kansas starting Sept. 1. Here are the details
The state of Kansas is ready to take your sports bets — and is also prepared to do so before this year’s NFL season begins.
Gov. Laura Kelly announced Thursday afternoon that Kansas would begin allowing bets in person and via mobile on Sept. 1 at four state-owned casinos. Sports betting in Kansas will be overseen by the Kansas Lottery. Sports betting will officially open fully on Sept. 8, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
The four casinos are Boot Hill Casino & Resort in Ford County, near Dodge City; Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane; Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas; and Kansas Crossing Casino & Hotel in Pittsburg. The governor’s release also noted that “tribal casinos are also working to align on contracts with the State of Kansas for sports wagering. These casinos will be authorized to launch as soon as they are ready.”
“Legalizing sports betting is a common-sense solution that keeps Kansans’ money in Kansas and drives business to sporting events, casinos, restaurants, and other entertainment venues,” Kelly, a Democrat, said in a statement. “I want to thank all our partners for working with us to get this done in time for football season.”
The announcement comes after days of frenzied speculation over when, exactly, sports betting would begin in Kansas — and whether betting would begin before the regular NFL season begins on Sept. 8. The Chiefs’ first regular season game will take place Sept. 11 against the Arizona Cardinals.
Regulators have been moving extraordinarily fast to write rules in time for football season. The Kansas Gaming and Racing Commission last week approved sports betting regulations, after the Republican-controlled Legislature approved a bill this spring legalizing sports betting, which Kelly signed into law in May. The Kansas Lottery also submitted regulations earlier in August.
But a spokesman for Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, Kelly’s Republican opponent in the Nov. 8 election, said Schmidt’s office had identified problems with the proposed regulations from the Kansas Lottery. The Kansas Attorney General’s Office regularly conducts legal reviews of proposed regulations.
“We are aware of the urgency in this matter and have expedited and nearly completed initial review of the proposed regulations from the Kansas Lottery. Our initial review has identified significant legal issues with the agency’s proposed regulations,” Schmidt spokesman John Milburn said in an email.
Milburn said the Kansas Attorney General’s Office would provide formal feedback to the Kansas Lottery “within days” and give the agency the opportunity to correct legal deficiencies. Milburn didn’t identify the problems found. He also said Schmidt’s office has begun reviewing regulations from the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission.
“We intend to approve these regulations as soon as the agency fixes the legal problems in their initial version,” Milburn said.
Even as regulators work through potential issues related to the rules for sports betting, proponents hailed its coming launch.
“This is a huge draw for our local economy,” said state Rep. Stephanie Clayton, an Overland Park Democrat who sits on the Kansas House Federal and State Affairs Committee, which worked on the sports betting legislation. “I usually get pretty darn excited about anything that benefits us economically.”
Clayton also called legalized sports betting a victory for fun after what she said had been a rough couple years.
“My constituents need fun. They need something that’s fun. They deserve it, God knows they’ve earned it,” Clayton said.
Illegal online sports betting has been widely available for years to anyone with just a bit of technical know-how, but a legal option will allow Kansas to capture revenue from bets that were already taking place.
Kansas lawmakers had been at odds for years over how to legalize sports betting, bogged down in fights on everything from who would run the program to who would get the revenue generated. But this year, the Legislature settled on a plan that imposes a 10% tax on bets.
The new law earmarks most of the revenue for a fund that will be used to attract professional sports teams to Kansas, after the first $750,000 raised will go toward investigating white-collar crimes related to gambling.
The fund to lure sports teams — a last-minute addition to the proposal — immediately stoked speculation that Kansas would make a bid to woo the Chiefs from Missouri.
Recent events, however, make that seem unlikely. Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said late last month that the team’s “No. 1 priority” would be to renovate Arrowhead Stadium in its current location for plans after its current lease expires in January 2031. Hunt also admitted he has an emotional attachment to Arrowhead, talking then about how his father and Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt called the stadium his favorite place on earth.
State Sen. Rob Olson, an Olathe Republican who supports sports betting, said the fund alone isn’t enough to lure the Chiefs. But he suggested that if Kansas legalizes medical marijuana, the tax revenue generated would approach what’s needed.
He also held open the possibility that the Legislature will later move money out of the fund and spend it elsewhere, perhaps to pay down pension debt.
“You could call that a rainy day. You could call that — if we have a situation where we need money somewhere, we could do that,” Olson said.
Across State Line Road, Missouri legislators remain divided over sports betting, but pressure is likely to increase as Kansas implements its program. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, plans to call a special session this fall on tax policy. But Parson has given no indication he plans to expand the session to include sports betting.
Chris Boan, lead writer for Gambling.com Group betting media sites that include BetKansas.com and BetArizona.com, said that hesitation could prove costly for Missouri.
“Kansas is getting with the times, and Missouri has fallen behind,” Boan said. “Obviously, both of them had a chance to pass sports betting. Kansas got the job done. I’ve talked to politicians from both sides of the aisle and they came together for the common good. I talked to the politicians on both sides of the aisle in the Show Me State and they kind of all stabbed each other in the back.”
Thirty-six states have legalized sports betting, according to the American Gaming Association. The U.S. Supreme Court opened the door to widespread legal sports gambling in 2018 when it overturned a law that had limited such betting to Nevada.
Kansas state Rep. Louis Ruiz, a Kansas City, Kansas, Democrat, said two of the primary obstacles that had held up legalization in Kansas were what would happen to the revenue generated and “the sin.”
The Kansas Constitution bans lotteries but was amended in 1986 to authorize state-owned and operated lotteries and wagering on dog and horse races. The Kansas Lottery will help oversee sports betting — in part to ensure compliance with the constitution.
“You’re in Kansas, so people are looking at the sin,” Ruiz said.
Boan, meanwhile, expected Thursday’s announcement to be the start of something big in the state.
“It’s a great day for Kansans,” Boan said. “I think it’ll be a very successful market.”
The Star’s Pete Grathoff contributed to this story.
If you are concerned that you or someone you know may have a gambling problem and need help, call 800-522-4700 or visit ksgamblinghelp.com.
