With the signing of SB 84, Governor Laura Kelly ushered in a new Kansas sports betting era. While the bill was originally created in May of this year, the new sports betting legislation formally went into effect on July 1, 2022. So when will the first online betting apps launch in Kansas?

Of all states to legalize sports betting to date, Kansas may well be the fastest to go fully live. Having said that, there is still a legal process to be followed.

Under the provisions of the law, the state’s four retail casinos can apply for sports betting licenses. That allows them to build retail sportsbooks which are expected to become prominent features of the casinos. They will also be permitted to secure licenses for up to three sports betting mobile apps each.

The four casinos are Boot Hill, Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway, Kansas Crossing, and Kansas Star.

Kansas Regulated Betting

Each licensed sports betting operator will of course be subject to the rules and regulations as set forth by the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission. They will also be thrilled to note that the state will only be claiming tax revenue of 10% on all gross revenue. That’s regardless of whether the revenue is derived from retail or mobile sports betting. That is much more favorable than some other states like New York.

Other provisions within the law are common across the industry. All sports bettors must be at least 21 years of age. To play on a Kansas betting app you must be physically located within the state boundaries. To enforce this, all mobile operators will be required by law to track bettor locations through the use of geo-tracking technology. Pretty standard stuff.

As for college sports, which does vary from state to state, they will be offered on Kansas betting apps.

Kansas Targets NFL Kickoff

With the state of Missouri moving forward with its own sports betting bill, the Kansas legislature had ample motivation to get sports betting in place as soon as possible. Mission accomplished. Now, the state faces the logistical task of getting operators licensed and ready for action. When exactly will that be?

It should come as no surprise that the KRGC is targeting the start of the NFL regular season as a launch date. If that sounds like a tall task, it’s because it is a tall task. Why? For the 20 or so states that have already been through this process, it has typically taken up to eight months to get from bill signing to apps launching. Kansas is trying to get it done in six weeks.

Kansas Sports Betting Bonuses

As a point of reference, the NFL regular season is scheduled to start on Thursday, September 8, 2022. That Thursday night opening sees the Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles Rams play host to the highly rated Buffalo Bills. Meanwhile, Kansas sports bettors will be interested in wagering on their own Kansas City Chiefs when they travel to play the Arizona Cardinals on September 11.

To pull off this task, the KRGC will need to process license applications and collect fees in record time. If they can get it done by the end of August, the sports betting operators should have no issues getting their apps and retail sportsbooks up and running within a week. The biggest danger of a delay might well come in the shape of a legal challenge.

But whenever the betting windows open, Kansas sports bettors will surely be ready to go. And as a little extra incentive to join the action, Kansas sportsbooks will be showcasing lucrative bonus offers as a means of competing for new business.

It’s almost go time for legal sports betting in Kansas.