The Kansas Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee recently passed a sports betting bill. However, even as the sports wagering industry cheers the decision, the Sunflower State is still miles away from a regulated market.

The good news

The Senate committee passed the sports betting bill that will allow the four casinos in the state to start sports betting operations. It would also allow mobile and online betting operations. The bill proposed a 10% tax on the proceeds of online betting and 7.5% on retail betting. However, there is one small problem with the bill. It is related to the use of official league data. Though professional sporting leagues want operators to use their official data and charge the states for it, casinos are not in favor of this clause.

Talking to The Topeka Capital-Journal, Sen. Rob Olson said, “I’d rather see official data. I know the casinos don’t like this piece.” Major League Basketball (MLB) is one of the prominent leagues that have approached the states to start using official league data and get royalty fees for it. They argue that there could be no sports betting without their data. However, most states have shunned this concept.

Kansas following its peers

Kansas will allow the state lottery to regulate the sports betting industry as well. This is another matter of contention as some people believe that the lottery is ill-equipped to handle sports betting operations. They argue that lottery and sports betting are completely different types of wagering and the lottery doesn’t have enough experience to provide oversight to the sector.

Even though Kansas is getting ready to become the next state to legalize athletics wagering, we must note that there is no bill in the state House to complement the Senate bill. However, House Federal and State Affairs Committee chairman Rep. John Barker is pushing a new proposal that will allow 1,200 retailers in the state to offer sports betting services. The bill also favors betting at dog racing tracks which could help some defunct venues operate again.

If Barker’s bill gets ahead in the House and gets signed into law, it could revolutionize the state’s gambling industry forever. It could bring the state at par with Montana, which has legalized sports betting. The state has not yet made wagering operational, but it would be available at around 1,400 businesses.