Kansas Lawmakers Vote to Prohibit Sportsbook License Extensions
Posted on: April 11, 2025, 02:14h.
Last updated on: April 11, 2025, 02:14h.
As reported first in Covers, Kansas’ legislature today passed legislation that will prohibit sportsbook license extensions, tossing the future of the state’s regulated sports betting market up in the air.
Six Mobile Sportsbooks Currently Operating
Six mobile sportsbooks are currently licensed and operating in the state – FanDuel, DraftKings, Caesars, Fanatics, ESPN BET and BetMGM. The larger sportsbooks are still live as of today, industry lobbyist Jeremy Kudon said in an X post.
Kansas has four state-owned casinos, operated under the control of the Kansas Lottery and regulated by the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission. In 2022 lawmakers approved legislation authorizing a maximum of three branded mobile platforms to be operated by each casino.
Just want to clarify: None of the leading OSB operators in Kansas will go dark as a result of today’s vote. Most contracts with the lottery run well into 2027,” said Kudon in an X post.
August 2027 Expiration Date
“But I wouldn’t let the Kansas legislature off so easy. They had no idea when these contracts expired and were willing to take your favorite OSB apps away from Kansans. We’re not going to let that happen.”
Sportsbooks must stop taking bets when their licenses expire. That’s where the situation gets cloudy. Each sportsbook could go offline over the next 18 months. Covers reported later this afternoon that the licenses for the six operates expires Aug. 31, 2027.
With this much uncertainty, people in the state are left wondering if access to legal sports betting is realistically in jeopardy.
Over $213 Million in Revenue
Online sports betting sites have been legal and active in Kansas since 2022.
According to most recent data from the American Gaming Association, the state generated USD$2.45 billion in online sports betting handle in 2024, USD$213.7 million in gross gaming revenue.
Revenue from land-based and online sports betting in Kansas is taxed at a rate of 10%.
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