Kansas sports betting could see regulatory changes as licence renewals put on hold
Sports betting licence renewals have been put on pause to allow legislators to consider other options.
US.- Kansas lawmakers have approved an amendment in the state budget bill that prevents sports betting licence extensions from being considered until next year. The aim is to give time for legislators to consider changes to the current regulatory model.
The licences of the state’s current six sportsbooks, run by BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, Fanatics, FanDuel and ESPN BET, don’t expire until August 31, 2027. That means that there would still be time for lawmakers to consider legislative changes in next year’s session and for licences to be renewed in 2026 or early 2027
The move comes from a budget provision that had been vetoed by governor Laura Kelly. Some lawmakers think sports betting should generate more revenue for the state. Some want to consider a switch to a single-operator market or at least more limited number of licensees, but it’s been argued that this could actually lower tax revenue and prompt more players to go offshore.
The amendment approved on the state budget SB 125 says that for the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years, “no expenditures shall be made by the above agency from monies appropriated from the state general fund or from any special revenue fund… to negotiate or enter into any contract or extension or renewal of an existing contract for the management of sports wagering with any lottery gaming facility manager.”
Jeremy Kudon from the Sports Betting Alliance (SBA) clarified on X that there will be no impact from the amendment for now and that “most contracts with the lottery will run well into 2027”.
Kansas sports betting revenue totalled $8m in March, up 12.4 per cent year-over-year but down 66.5 per cent from February’s $23.9m. According to the latest report from the Kansas Lottery, online betting contributed $7.9m and retail $164,568. The sports betting handle totalled $248.4m, down 1.8 per cent year-over-year but up 14.9 per cent from February. Online betting contributed $241.7m and retail $6.7m.
