Kansas Legislators Approves Bill Allowing Sports Betting in State

Kansas Legislators Approves Bill Allowing Sports Betting in State

On Thursday, a proposal to allow Kansans to wager on the Kansas City Chiefs or the University of Kansas Jayhawks was delivered to Gov. Laura Kelly, ending years of gridlock in the state legislature. 

Kelly is anticipated to approve the bill, which will make Kansas the 34th state to legalize sports betting in the United States. This month, an agreement was ultimately reached after years of wrangling between negotiators in the Kansas Senate and House. However, the final result was not without criticism.

Casinos can partner with online betting platforms, as well as with up to 50 merchants, such as a restaurant or gas station, to offer in-person betting, with a specific number of those retailers being required to be nonprofits, according to the legislation. 

The Kansas Speedway and Sporting Kansas City could both provide betting, and the state’s federally recognized tribes might enter into separate agreements to construct a program comparable to those of the state-sanctioned casinos, according to the Kansas Department of Commerce. 

The state will take a fixed 10 percent cut of all bets, whether they are placed online or in person at a participating location. Kansas is unlikely to become wealthy as a result of the legalization of sports betting. 

According to an earlier, more expansive version of the law, the Kansas Lottery could generate as much as $10 million in income by Fiscal Year 2025 under certain conditions. As a result, the state should anticipate only a few million dollars in revenue per year.

Kansas Senators Pass State Sports Betting Bill

Sports betting is unlikely to be legalized in Missouri

According to reports, Missouri lawmakers are unlikely to legalize sports betting, a development that comes as a surprise given their initial indications that they were close to reaching an agreement on their own sports betting structure. Many Kansas politicians, however, remained opposed to any extension of gambling, believing that it is either a bad bargain for the state or will result in an increase in addiction as a result of the expansion of gaming. According to the National Council on Issue Gambling, 62,800 Kansans — or 2.8 percent of the state’s adult population — are affected by a gambling problem. In addition, other states have seen an increase in addiction as a result of the legalization of sports betting, particularly among younger bettors. In accordance with the law, 2 percent of all proceeds would be directed to the Problem Gambling Trust Fund, and language would better ensure that those money were directed particularly to the prevention and treatment of gambling addiction.

Senate Minority Leader Virgil Peck, R-Havanah, likened the legislation to a “Twilight Zone” episode in which a couple was offered the chance to collect $10,000 if they killed a stranger in the process. Although the bill was opposed by Sen. Rob Olson (R-Olathe), chair of the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee, he argued that it was obvious sense because locals were currently betting on sports through an offshore provider or driving out of state.

Top 3 Online Casinos For Players From Kansas, USA

  • Slot Title
  • Pay Back
  • Key Features
Up to $12,500 Welcome Bonus

  • Casino Payout: 98.01%
  • Payout Speed: 3-5 days
Up to $12,500 Welcome BonusPlay NowOur score:
Up to $12,500 Welcome Bonus
Read more
250% first deposit bonus up to $1,500

  • Casino Payout: 98.01%
  • Payout Speed: 3-5 days
250% first deposit bonus up to $1,500Play NowOur score:
250% first deposit bonus up to $1,500
Read more
Bonus for first nine deposits, up to $5,000

  • Casino Payout: 97.92%
  • Payout Speed: 1-3 days
Bonus for first nine deposits, up to $5,000Play NowOur score:
Bonus for first nine deposits, up to $5,000
Read more

Enticing Chiefs and Royals to Kansas City 

During a House floor debate on Thursday, Rep. John Barker (R-Abilene), chair of the House Federal and State Affairs Committee, expressed his support for the legalization of sports betting. During a House floor debate on Thursday, Rep. John Barker (R-Abilene), chair of the House Federal and State Affairs Committee, expressed his support for the legalization of sports betting. The “Attracting Professional Sports to Kansas Fund” would get the vast majority of the proceeds, which would appear to be an attempt to cash in on recent reports that the Kansas City Chiefs would consider moving their stadium over the border from Missouri.

Although the fund was placed under the jurisdiction of the Department of Commerce at the last minute, legislators might choose to spend the money in any other way they saw fit. Members appear to be genuinely excited about the thought of enticing the Chiefs across the border to the United States. Olson agreed that the amount would not be sufficient to field a team on its own. However, he stated that the move might provide a significant boost to the state’s economy, adding that the stadium would most likely be located at the Legends complex in western Kansas City, Kan., and that it could inspire additional development in the area.

A horse racing case could be filed against Wichita Park 

The bill also includes a provision that would allow machines at the Wichita Greyhound Park to be installed that would allow gamblers to wager on a virtual horse race that would be selected at random from a previous time period. In a lawsuit against the activity, known as historical horse racing, the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane, a county south of Wichita, is expected to contend that historical horse racing violates the contract made when the state authorized casino gambling in 2007. Others say that historical horse racing is equivalent to pari-mutuel betting, which is a separate type of gambling that would be permissible under the Kansas Expanded Lottery Act, and so should be allowed.

About Lou De Aguila

Lou Aguila is a news and feature writer for Golden Casino News. For over a decade, Lou has published news and featured articles for some of the most reputable sports betting and online casino sites in the world, including BetNow.UK, VegasOdds, and BWin. Apart from being a hardcore live casino punter, he also covers sports stories in North American leagues from time to time.