Kansas, Missouri Battling For Sports Betting
Both Missouri and Kansas have been working on sports betting bills for several years, and each state could get something finalized in 2022. Kansas appears to be closer to getting a bill passed, but there has been a big push in Missouri as well.
Senate Bill 84 in Kansas has already advanced out of the House of Representatives and is back in the Senate for a final vote. That vote isn’t going to come until the end of April though as lawmakers are now on a three week break.
Governor Laura Kelly is expected to sign a bill if it lands on her desk, but it must get Senate approval first. The three week delay could give Missouri time to take the lead, and lawmakers continue to meet on the issue.
Earlier this week, executives from the professional sports teams in the state of Missouri met with lawmakers to show support of the bill. Both retail and mobile betting would be available in Missouri, and the professional sports teams would be entitled to a license.
The 13 casinos in Missouri would also be allowed to offer sports betting, and leaders from that industry are on board as well. There is still some opposition to sports betting in Missouri, and it could take some time before a vote is taken.
Details of Kansas Bill
There have been some changes made to the initial bill in Kansas to legalize sports betting, but things appear to be settled now. If the bill is passed as it is currently written then there could be up to 12 online sports betting options in the state.
There are four casinos in Kansas and those properties would be able to apply for a license. If a license was granted then those casinos could then partner with three sports betting operators and share an online skin.
Retail sports betting could be extremely popular in Kansas as well as the four casinos could seek out up to 50 different retail partners. All of the sports betting revenue would be taxed at a rate of 10% and that is actually lower than the national average.
Chiefs Play a Factor
The Kansas City Chiefs are playing a key role in the efforts from lawmakers in both states to legalize sports betting. Kansas City is a part of the group lobbying for legal sports betting in Missouri, but it might not even matter.
Executives from the Chiefs acknowledged that they would forfeit their online betting skin if they moved their stadium across the border to Kansas. The state of Kansas is trying to use sports betting to entice the team to make the move.
Kansas lawmakers are planning on using revenue from sports betting to help pay for professional teams to relocate across the border. Missouri has been home to the Chiefs since 1963 and they are hoping the online sports betting skin is enough to get them to stay.
