Kansas to pursue accelerated sports betting launch timetable

In-person and online Sports betting in Kansas will launch in time for the start of the new NFL season, officials from the Kansas Lottery have confirmed.

Late on Thursday, an announcement video was posted on YouTube confirming the launch timetable.

Sports betting will begin with a soft launch on September 1, with a full launch taking place on September 8, the same day the NLF season commences.

Operators applying for licenses will be given a one-year provisional license based on their past performance in other states, with approved platforms expected to be named over the coming days.

If successful, the launch would make the Sunflower State the fastest state to launch regulated sports betting, beating Iowa, which launched 95 days after legislation was signed into law, Arizona which took 148 days, and Indiana at 149 days.

Kansas Lottery executive director Stephen Durrell claimed there were still “several regulatory and administrative hurdles” to overcome but expressed his hope that the September timeline would be adhered to.

“This announcement represents a lot of hard work and collaboration between the Kansas Lottery, the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission, our casino and tribal partners,” Durrell said.

“The process to bring this to fruition has moved at an unbelievable pace. We are excited to be bringing sports betting to Kansas players and adding more fun and exciting play options to the Sunflower State,” he added.

Durell’s sentiments were echoed by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, who hailed the potential financial impact for the state.

“Legalizing sports betting is a common-sense solution that keeps Kansans’ money in Kansas and drives business to sporting events, casinos, restaurants, and other entertainment venues,” Governor Kelly said.

“I want to thank all our partners for working with us to get this done in time for football season,” she added.

Under Kansas legislation, each of the state’s four casinos will be permitted to operate a retail sportsbook. In addition, they can partner with 50 retail establishments, such as restaurants or gas stations, to offer in-person betting via kiosks.

The state’s casinos will also be granted three online skins each that will provide entry points to the market for the likes of DraftKings, FanDuel, and other prominent online operators.

FanDuel, through its partnership with Boyd Gaming, and PENN Entertainment – which plans to take its stake in Barstool Sportsbook to full-ownership – already has market access thanks to the retail presence of Boyd and PENN in Kansas.

The state will tax gross-gaming revenue (GGR) from in-person and online wagers at 10%, with 80% of the resulting tax collected earmarked for the purposes of attracting professional sports teams to Kansas.

Currently, Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer is the only in-state pro franchise.