New Senate Bill Could Bring Legal Sports Betting To Kansas
- Lawmakers have filed new SB 84 to legalize Kansas sports betting.
- Should the bill pass; this would be the first step to launching a legal sports betting market in Kansas.
- The legal Kansas sports betting market would see the state collect 7.5% in taxes according to the bill.
TOPEKA, Kan. – Kansas may soon be launching its own legal sports betting market as lawmakers presented a new sports betting bill to the House of Representatives.
The bill will need to be approved by the House, then the bill will need to be approved by the Senate, and ultimately the Governor, Laura Kelly, will have final approval to sign in the bill.
This marks the first step into a possible legal sports betting market in the Sunflower State.
Legal Sports Betting In Kansas
While it is too early to determine whether or not the bill will pass in the House, there is a reason for optimism in the state.
Kansas has overall budget has suffered major losses following the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Many states have begun launching legal gambling markets or expanding their markets that in the past would be opposed.
Kansas gambling revenue could be the perfect way for the state to recoup some of the losses brought on by the pandemic.
The bill, SB 84 will see the state collect 7.5% of sports betting revenue from retail books and 10% revenue from online and mobile sportsbooks.
The bill does not specify any yearly fees or licensing fees usually associated with launching a sportsbook in a regulated market.
There are four commercial casino operations in the Sunflower State and the proposed bill would allow all of the casinos up to three online sportsbook partnerships, allowing up to 12 sportsbooks in total.
The sports betting market would be run by the Kansas Lottery should this bill pass. In past failed sports betting bills, lawmakers were pushing for the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission to oversee legal sports betting.
Since this is the earliest stage of the bill, local Kansas sports bettors will, unfortunately, have to continue to wait for a regulated sports betting market in the state.
The bill will be reviewed and voted on in upcoming legislative meetings.