Missouri sports betting bettors have actually crossed into Kansas for nearly three years to put legal sports bets. Three years from now, Kansas residents may do the same.

Key takeaways

- Kansas legislators halted new sportsbook license extensions until 2026, hinting at possible regulatory changes that could affect its 6 legal operators after 2027.

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

- Future changes in Kansas could include a sole-operator design or tax hikes, impacting competitors and encouraging bettors to look for options 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.

The ability to place legal bets in Kansas attracts gamblers on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro location to Kansas to wager, with some doing so most or almost every day of the week.

That could change if Kansas legislators overthrow the existing regulatory structure. Sources tell Covers some legislators want to increase the state's sports betting tax profits, 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 market next year will come after Missouri goes live with as many as a dozen books; if Kansas considerably curtails its offerings, it could lead KS wagerers to put bets in MO, the opposite of the present pattern

The changes could be as simple as a tax increase. It might also lead to a sole-source operator design some lawmakers are thinking about, one that could produce more direct revenue for the state but potentially dislodge some or all of the 6 existing sportsbooks as soon as their licenses end in Aug. 2027.

The legislation passed previously this month just places a prohibition up until 2026, suggesting Kansas' current sportsbooks can take bets till their licenses expire the list below year. Lawmakers may not even think about a remarkable change to the regulatory structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, implying no noticeable effect for Sunflower State bettors.

But the license extension prohibition leaves the possibility for remarkable changes that didn't seem practical weeks ago.

Missouri sportsbooks prepare to introduce

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

Missouri's multi-year sports wagering legalization push ended in Nov. 2024, when citizens directly approved a ballot procedure to bring legal retail and online sportsbooks to the state. The vote followed years of failed efforts to legislate 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 almost twice as lots of betting alternatives in Missouri as Kansas.

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

Other books including BetMGM, BetRivers and Underdog also revealed launch strategies. Bet365 struck a deal with MLB's St. Louis Cardinals and also prepares to accept bets in the state.

Caesars, which opposed the ballot step over license allowance issues, runs 3 Missouri casinos and is eligible to launch its online book in the state. Penn Entertainment (ESPN BET) and sports betting Bally's (Bally Bet) also run Missouri casinos that give them immediate market access.

Other books including Acid rock, live in Illinois, might also pursue among roughly two-dozen potential Missouri sports wagering licenses.

The broader selection of Show Me State wagering options could attract Kansas gamblers in the Kansas City metro location to Missouri to put bets, reversing years of bettor traffic going the opposite instructions. This could accelerate if the Sunflower State curtails its sportsbook roster, particularly if DraftKings and/or FanDuel can no longer accept bets.

Missouri voters in the Kansas City metro were the most ardent advocates of the sports betting tally step, which might highlight residents' interest in positioning bets in their home state as soon as books go live.

Missouri's sports betting lineup doubts ahead of the 2025 launch. Kansas' sportsbooks could alter too in the occurring years.