Regulators have approved a temporary series of guardrails to guide sports betting in Kansas to begin later this year, though the exact start date remains unknown.
Officials, including Gov. Laura Kelly, have publicly said they want sports betting in Kansas by the start of the National Football League season in early September, but the state has pushed that goal. It may not be achievable. .
Todd Allen, director of sports betting for the Kansas Racing and Betting Commission, said a timeline for the release date is not yet available.
“We are making progress and hope to bring sports betting to Kansas soon,” Allen said in an email.
Kelly signed the sports betting bill in May. It was a breakthrough for legislators after years of stalemate over how much the state should get cut from all revenues, among other controversies.
more:Kansas legislature votes to legalize sports betting after years of waiting, trying to lure KC Chiefs
Under the law, casinos can partner with online betting platforms and up to 50 retailers such as restaurants and gas stations to offer face-to-face wagering. Kansas Speedway, Sporting Kansas City, and federally recognized state tribes may also offer bets.
The State will take a flat 10% cut on all bets, regardless of whether they are placed online or in person.
The legalization of sports betting was expected to bring only a few million dollars a year into state coffers, but Missouri’s failure to pass that version of the sports betting bill in 2022 has pushed the Kansas City area borders. may attract gamblers beyond.
Regulator Approves Temporary Betting Guidelines
Last week, both the Kansas Lottery Commission and the Kansas Racing and Gambling Commission approved temporary rules and regulations that will determine what betting in Kansas will look like when it opens.
“There is nothing we are doing to stop sports betting in Kansas,” KRGC chairman David Moses said at a meeting on Friday.
KRGC executive director Don Brownlee confirmed that the goal remains to have everything up and running by NFL kickoff on September 8.
“While we know that sports betting regulation is not what everyone would like, it is clear that there is a lot of interest in conducting sports betting in Kansas.” He said.
Operators will be granted a one-year provisional license based on their work in other states. This is a move aimed at streamlining the early stages of betting and an acknowledgment that the sportsbooks coming to Kansas are large national companies.
Some of these deals have already been concluded, but each casino chooses to partner with a different company.
For example, Kansas City’s Hollywood Casino signed a deal with Barstools. Meanwhile, Mulvane’s Kansas Star Casino has partnered with BetMGM and FanDuel.
Under the law, each of the state’s four casinos can partner with up to three mobile apps that allow consumers to place bets.
What’s Next for Kansas Sports Betting?
Brownlee noted that the KRGC and the lottery still have work to complete beyond rule and regulatory approval.
A deal has to be agreed between the lottery and the four state-owned casinos, and negotiations are underway. KRGC is also required to conduct background checks and obtain information about sports betting platforms seeking to do business in the state.
The Lottery has also started approving ads from sports betting companies, explaining the surge in promotions on social media and television.
The lottery and KRGC regulations, as well as other proposed rules and regulations, will be sent to Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s office for approval. Once approved there, it is sent to the Secretary of State for review and official publication.
Schmidt spokesperson John Milburn said the regulation was already under review, but the exact timeframe for approval was still unclear.
“Regulatory reviews of legality vary widely from regulation to regulation, depending on the complexity of the regulation and the underlying statutory powers, as well as the ease of resolving potential issues,” Milburn said in an email. I’m here.
The process is slightly different for the state’s four federally recognized tribes. Under the Federal Indian Gaming Regulation Act, tribes sign individual gaming agreements with states outlining the rules and procedures to be followed.
The Tribe will work with the Kansas State Department of Games, the regulatory body that governs Tribal games, to amend these agreements.
Kelly said in June that negotiations with the tribe were “ongoing.”
Andrew Bahl is Senior Legislative Correspondent for Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at his [email protected] or by phone at 443-979-6100.