Boot Hill Casino’s DraftKings Sportsbook to open in Kansas next month

Boot Hill Casino’s retail sportsbook will open in Dodge City in October.

US.- DraftKings is one of the six online sportsbooks that launched in Kansas yesterday (Thursday). It’s now announced that a retail sportsbook at Butler National Corporation’s Boot Hill Casino & Resort in Dodge City will open in October.

The casino will open a temporary sportsbook adjacent to the casino cage in the old high-limit area. It’s expected to open a permanent location in early 2023. Bettors will be able to watch games on TV and bet via kiosk. Tickets will be able to be redeemed at the casino cage.

Chris Reedy, vice president and attorney for Butler National Corporation, said it will be an intimate location with a “beautiful bar” and an LED wall as centerpieces. Covering 2,500 square feet, the new sportsbook will have two teller windows, multiple kiosks, odds boards, and light food-and-beverage offerings. Reedy said one-third of the cost of the renovation is going into audio-visual components. The venue will accommodate between 60-65 people.

“The theme of the casino is to make people feel comfortable and welcome,” Reedy said. “We want the same for the sportsbook. The focus really is to add our drive to tourism and bring people in and complement our amenities.”

Last week, Butler National Corporation entered into an agreement with DraftKings-owned Golden Nugget Online Gaming (GNOG) for its online sportsbook. Under Kansas’s new sports betting law, Boot Hill Casino and the other casinos in the state can contract up to three sports wagering platforms. 

Clark Stewart, Butler National president, said in a statement: “We’re excited for DraftKings, as the parent company of Golden Nugget Online Gaming, to be able to bring Kansans a seamless, safe and premium sports betting experience through its GNOG branded sportsbook, subject to receipt of requisite regulatory approvals.”

“We are looking forward to driving new tourism and revenue for the State of Kansas into Dodge City. Sports betting at Boot Hill Casino will give guests another exciting reason to visit Dodge City.”

Kansas could see a $1.78bn handle in the first year of sports betting

BetKansas has published predictions on the sports betting handle that Kansas can expect in its first year of regulated sports betting. It estimates that the state will see a $1.78bn handle in the first 12 months.

Comparing Kansas with the state of Arizona due to similar open wagering markets and longstanding ties to NFL and MLB teams, it’s estimated that the state’s sportsbooks will take in $150m per month in the first year of operations. According to the predictions, Kansas will overtake Louisana, which reported an average $142.5m monthly handle between November 2021 and June 2022.