Kansas Sports Betting Operators Set for Sept. 1 Launch
- Kansas sports betting will undergo a soft launch on Thursday, Sept. 1, at 12 p.m. CT
- The Kansas Lottery released the approved operators for Thursday’s launch
- Kansas sports betting will undergo a full launch on Thursday, Sept. 8
Six operators have been approved for the Kansas sports betting soft launch on Thursday, Sept. 1, at 12 p.m. local time.
The Kansas Lottery announced the approved partnerships for the four state casinos through a press release.
Kansas Sports Betting Operators
Per the sports betting bill signed into law by Gov. Laura Kelly (D) just three months ago, each casino is able to offer both in-person and online sports betting with up to three sports betting operators.
The Hollywood Casino in Kansas City will have both in-person and online sports betting available through Barstool Sportsbook on Sept. 1. New customers can sign up right now and claim a pre-launch Barstool Sportsbook promo worth $100 in bonuses.
The Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane will have both in-person and online sports betting available through FanDuel. Additionally, the Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Dodge City will offer online sports betting through DraftKings Sportsbook, with in-person sports betting to be announced at a later date.
Finally, the Kansas Crossing Casino will offer online sports betting through BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, and PointsBet, with in-person sports betting being offering at a later date.
Kansas Sports Betting Soft Launch
According to a Kansas Lottery spokesperson, the casinos and their operator partners will only be required to take bets on the NFL, MLB, and NCAAF during the soft launch.
The spokesperson did say the operators would likely offer more betting events than just those three on Sept. 1, but these are the only three event types required during the soft launch. By the Sept. 8 full launch the spokesperson said the operators will likely be offering their full catalogue of betting events.
Despite the potentially limited betting catalogue, the spokesperson noted that no other restrictions would be placed on Kansas sports bettors or the operators during the soft launch period. Customers will be able to access online sportsbook apps with no limitations, register and fund accounts, and use offered promo bets as normal.
If all goes well and the state does begin taking bets on Sept. 1, it will be the quickest state turnaround from a bill being signed into law to its launch. Kansas only needed about 74 days compared with Iowa’s previous record-setting 95 day turnaround. For comparison, Maryland is still without online sports betting 456 days after its sports betting bill was signed into law.
Rob covers all regulatory developments in online gambling. He specializes in US sports betting news along with casino regulation news as one of the most trusted sources in the country.
