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Missouri sports betting wagerers have crossed into Kansas for almost three years to put legal sports bets. Three years from now, Kansas locals may do the exact same.
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Key takeaways

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

- Missouri is set to release legal mobile sportsbooks in late 2025, potentially reversing cross-border wagering patterns as Kansas gamblers might head east.
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- Future changes in Kansas could include a sole-operator design or tax hikes, affecting competitors and encouraging bettors to look for options in Missouri.

Kansas sports wagering background

Kansas introduced its very first legal mobile sportsbooks in 2022. Six books now take bets: BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, ESPN BET, Fanatics and FanDuel.

The capability to position legal bets in Kansas draws in bettors on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro area to Kansas to wager, with some doing so most or almost every day of the week.
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That could alter if Kansas legislators overthrow the existing regulatory structure. Sources tell Covers some legislators desire to increase the state's sports wagering tax income, among 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 cope with as many as a dozen books; if Kansas significantly cuts its offerings, sports betting it might lead KS gamblers to place bets in MO, the opposite of the existing pattern

The alterations might be as basic as a tax increase. It could also lead to a sole-source operator model some lawmakers are considering, one that might produce more direct income for the state but potentially require out some or all of the six existing sportsbooks as soon as their licenses end in Aug. 2027.

The legislation passed previously this month only puts a restriction until 2026, meaning Kansas' existing sportsbooks can take bets until their licenses expire the list below year. Lawmakers might not even think about a dramatic change to the regulative structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, indicating no perceptible impact for Sunflower State wagerers.

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

Missouri sportsbooks prepare to introduce

The Kansas relocation 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 narrowly authorized 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.
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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 numerous wagering alternatives in Missouri as Kansas.

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

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

Caesars, which opposed the ballot procedure over license allocation concerns, runs three Missouri gambling establishments and sports betting is eligible to introduce 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 access.

Other books including Acid rock, reside in Illinois, might also pursue one of approximately two-dozen potential sports betting wagering licenses.

The broader variety of Show Me State betting options might attract Kansas bettors in the Kansas City city area to Missouri to put bets, reversing years of gambler traffic going the opposite instructions. This might accelerate if the Sunflower State reduces its sportsbook lineup, especially if DraftKings and/or FanDuel can no longer accept bets.

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

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