Missouri sports bettors have crossed into Kansas for nearly three years to place legal sports bets. Three years from now, Kansas residents may do the same.
Key takeaways
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Kansas lawmakers halted new sportsbook license extensions until 2026, hinting at possible regulatory changes that could affect its six legal operators after 2027.
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Missouri is set to launch legal mobile sportsbooks in late 2025, potentially reversing cross-border betting trends as Kansas bettors may head east.
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Future changes in Kansas could include a sole-operator model or tax hikes, impacting competition and encouraging bettors to seek alternatives in Missouri.
Kansas sports betting background
Kansas launched its 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 bettors on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro area to Kansas to wager, with some doing so most or nearly every day of the week.
That could change if Kansas lawmakers upend the current regulatory structure. Sources tell Covers some lawmakers want to increase the state’s sports betting tax revenue, among the lowest 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 drastically curtails its offerings, it could lead KS bettors to place bets in MO, the opposite of the current pattern
— Ryan Butler (@ButlerBets) April 15, 2025
The alterations could be as simple as a tax increase. It could also result in a sole-source operator model some lawmakers are considering, one that could generate more direct revenue for the state but potentially force out some or all of the six existing sportsbooks once their licenses expire in Aug. 2027.
The legislation passed earlier this month only places a prohibition until 2026, meaning Kansas' existing sportsbooks can take bets until their licenses expire the following year. Lawmakers may not even consider a dramatic change to the regulatory structure when they reconvene for the 2026 session, meaning no perceptible impact for Sunflower State bettors.
But the license extension prohibition leaves the possibility for dramatic changes that didn’t seem feasible weeks ago.
Missouri sportsbooks prepare to launch
The Kansas move comes as Missouri nears the launch of its legal sportsbooks.
Missouri’s multi-year sports betting legalization push ended in Nov. 2024, when voters narrowly approved a ballot measure to bring legal retail and online sportsbooks to the state. The vote followed years of failed efforts to legalize sports betting in the legislature.
Missouri’s legal sportsbooks are set to start taking bets in the fourth quarter of 2025. There are also set to be nearly twice as many betting options in Missouri as Kansas.
FanDuel and DraftKings contributed more than $30 million to support the ballot measure. The two U.S. market share leaders have, as expected, announced plans to take bets in Missouri once licensed.
Other books including BetMGM, BetRivers and Underdog also announced launch plans. Bet365 struck a deal with MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals and also plans to accept bets in the state.
Caesars, which opposed the ballot measure over license allocation concerns, operates three Missouri casinos and is eligible to launch its online book in the state. Penn Entertainment (ESPN BET) and Bally’s (Bally Bet) also operate Missouri casinos that grant them immediate market access.
Other books including Hard Rock, live in Illinois, could also pursue one of roughly two-dozen potential Missouri sports betting licenses.
The wider array of Show Me State wagering options could attract Kansas bettors in the Kansas City metro area to Missouri to place bets, reversing years of bettor traffic going the opposite direction. This could accelerate if the Sunflower State curtails its sportsbook roster, 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 ballot measure, which could underscore residents' interest in placing bets in their home state once books go live.
Missouri’s sports betting lineup is uncertain ahead of the 2025 launch. Kansas’ sportsbooks could change too in the ensuing years.
