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Missouri sports gamblers have crossed into Kansas for nearly three years to place legal sports betting bets. Three years from now, Kansas citizens may do the same.

Key takeaways
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- Kansas lawmakers halted brand-new sportsbook license extensions up until 2026, meaning possible regulatory changes that could affect its six legal operators after 2027.

- Missouri is set to launch legal mobile sportsbooks in late 2025, possibly reversing cross-border betting patterns as Kansas wagerers may head east.
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- Future modifications in Kansas could include a sole-operator model or tax hikes, affecting competitors and encouraging wagerers to look for alternatives in Missouri.

Kansas sports betting 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 draws in 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 lawmakers upend the existing regulatory structure. Sources tell Covers some lawmakers want to increase the state's sports betting tax revenue, amongst the least expensive per capita of any of the 30 states with statewide legal mobile sportsbooks.

Kansas' likely reconsideration of its six-book legal sports wagering market next year will follow Missouri goes live with as many as a dozen books; if Kansas dramatically cuts its offerings, it might lead KS gamblers to place bets in MO, the reverse of the current pattern

The changes might be as basic as a tax boost. It might also lead to a sole-source operator design some legislators are considering, one that might create more direct earnings for the state but possibly displace some or all of the 6 existing sportsbooks as soon as their licenses end in Aug. 2027.

The legislation passed previously this month just puts a prohibition till 2026, sports betting implying Kansas' current sportsbooks can take bets till their licenses expire the following year. Lawmakers may not even think about a significant change to the regulatory structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, implying no noticeable impact for Sunflower State gamblers.

But the license extension prohibition leaves the possibility for remarkable modifications that didn't appear practical weeks earlier.

Missouri sportsbooks prepare to release

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

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

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

Other books consisting of BetMGM, BetRivers and Underdog also announced 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 allowance concerns, runs 3 Missouri casinos and is qualified to introduce its online book in the state. Penn Entertainment (ESPN BET) and Bally's (Bally Bet) also run Missouri casinos that give them instant market gain access to.

Other books including Hard Rock, sports betting live in Illinois, could also pursue one of approximately two-dozen prospective Missouri sports wagering licenses.
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The wider variety of Show Me State betting options might bring in Kansas gamblers in the Kansas City metro area to Missouri to position bets, reversing years of bettor traffic going the opposite direction. This might speed up if the Sunflower State cuts its sportsbook lineup, particularly if DraftKings and/or FanDuel can no longer accept bets.
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Missouri voters in the Kansas City metro were the most ardent of the sports betting tally procedure, which might underscore residents' interest in putting 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 change too in the taking place years.
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