3 “Best” Sports Betting Sites in Kansas (May 2024)

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly officially signed bill SB 84 into law in May 2022, and Sports betting became legal in the state of Kansas as of September 1st, 2022.

The Kansas Lottery approved six online sportsbook for Day 1 action in the state. Barstool Sportsbook, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, FanDuel and PointsBet.

To participate in Kansas online sports betting you must be physically present inside the state of Kansas, and you must be a legal minimum age of 21.

3 Best Kansas Sports Betting Sites

1. Barstool Sportbook & Casino

Barstool Sportsbook is operated by PENN Interactive, a subsidiary of PENNEntertainment. PENN Entertainment started with a group of Central Pennsylvania civic leaders who decided to enter the world of thoroughbred horse racing in Grantville, PA. The birthplace of the company was dubbed Penn National Race Course and it was run by the Turf Club for 10 years until Peter D. Carlino took over in 1982.

The history of this company ensures a legal and compliant regulatory environment. Bet on sports and play your favorite casino games with this one-of-a-kind app. Packed with great features like exclusive daily odds boosts, custom offers and promotions, live in-game wagering, cross-sport parlays, money lines, futures, teasers and numerous prop bets, plus Barstool Personality Picks — this is a solid option for Ohio Bettors.

2. Fanduel

What started as a backyard Texas brainstorm between 5 co-founders is now the driving force in a multibillion-dollar industry. FanDuel got its start at the 2009 SXSW Interactive festival — right there in that backyard — when our founding team decided to focus their efforts on changing the game in fantasy sports.

The season-long game would be simplified. The winning amplified. The money real. And the result? A new way to play fantasy — fan vs. fan in a test of sports knowledge and fantasy knowhow — where winners can taste victory on any given day. Not just once a year.

How FanDuel has taken it a step further and have launched a fully licensed sportsbook for residents of Kansas.

3. Draftkings

Draftkings is an established and publicly traded company that has been accepting bets since August 2018. They were one of the first of 6 sportsbooks that were licensed to take bets from Kansas residents as of 2022.

The sportsbook is self-described as a one-stop, high-octane jet fuel for all your betting needs. The top-rated app in the country. American made, world-class, 21st century-and-beyond technology. A safe, secure online sports betting platform. Peace of mind reigns supreme while you Make It Reign.

They feature both an Android & iOS app.

Kansas’ journey to sports betting legalization

2018

The Kansas legislature has been trying to legalize sports betting since before May 2018, when the US Supreme Court overturned PASPA. Back then, the state was among the first ones to even discuss the legalization and regulation of sports betting.

There were three bills that were a major topic of discussion that year, including one that would have authorized a lottery to conduct wagering at lottery retailers and by contracting with gaming and horse racing facilities.

2019

Kansas entered 2019 with many expecting that this will be the year when sports betting will finally be legalized in the state. However, the legislative effort did not manage to get off the ground. The reason for this was actually quite simple — the state officials could not reach an agreement on who will run sports betting.

According to the Kansas Constitution, the state must run all gambling. It already owns all four casinos that are available in the state, but it has partnered with companies that were granted to operate and run the casinos. As for sports betting, the state wanted to charge a 50% tax rate, which drew opposition from the casino companies, and the efforts were seriously damaged.

2020

In 2020, the Senate embraced a more industry-friendly path, finally passing a bill that authorized sports betting at state-owned casinos. The tax structure this time was 7.5% for wagers placed in person and 10% for the ones placed online, which was a lot more acceptable offer. The Senate bill had universal support from the casinos, although it was opposed by non-operating racetracks. Not only that but there were also reports that Gov. Laura Kelly refused to sign the Senate bill.

There were also significant differences between the Senate and the House bill, which wanted to allow sports wagering at up to 1,200 lottery retailers and double the tax rate.

2021

In 2021, the Senate passed a bill 26-12 in March, which expanded the state lottery and allowed each of the four casinos to team up with up to three online brands. The House, however, voted against a substation for the Senate bill 77-40. The vote killed the chances of sports betting going live in Kansas in 2021.

The House bill also included a lottery sportsbook partner, which allowed for up to 1,200 retailers to take sports bets on lottery-approved machines. Each state casino could also partner up with one sportsbook company for online betting.

2022

Finally, 2022 brought several sessions in the House Federal and State Affairs Committee, with the House inserting a new language from a compromise bill HB2470 into SB 84 — the bill that passed the Senate only a year earlier. The base of the proposals is the same, as it conducts sports betting through up to three skins from the four casinos within the state. The House, however, added several additional components, and the chambers finally reached an agreement, including the House’s addition of retail partnerships.

Now, regulators expect sports betting to become fully set up at some point during this year’s NFL season. The bill is already in effect, as Gov. Laura Kelly signed the legislation into law effective July 1st, as mentioned earlier. Meanwhile, the local casinos started teaming up with their 3rd-party partners, with Boot Hill Casino announcing a partnership with DraftKings and Bally Bet.

Is sports betting legal in Kansas?

Yes, as of July 1st, 2022, sports betting is officially legal in the state of Kansas. It is worth noting that there are no legal online or retail sportsbooks in the state right now, but the plan is for the four state-owned casinos to operate retail sportsbooks and partnerships with up to three online sites each.

The state of sports betting in Kansas

With this latest victory that legalized sports betting, wagering on sports events became fully legal in Kansas. The two chambers did have their differences that resulted in failed attempts to regulate sports betting over the past several years, but the agreement was finally reached.

Then, after the sign-off occurred, Gov. Kelly needed only two weeks to affix her signature and present the bill as the new statute for the books, officially turning it into law.

When will online sports betting launch in Kansas?

The current plan is to have online sports betting up and running by Week 1 of this year’s NFL season, which is starting in September. At least, that would be the ideal result of the efforts put into enabling the sports betting ecosystem in the state. However, there are several steps that need to be completed prior to launch, whether online or retail. As a result, it is more than possible that there will be delays and that online sports betting might not arrive until late 2022 or even early 2023.

For example, regulators have yet to create rules for the new activity, and create a licensing structure, put it into place, and alike. All of this could take several more months, so it is actually unlikely that online sports betting will arrive in time for NFL, even without any additional complications.

Once it does, however, there is a number of apps that could launch in Kansas, offered by the four casinos’ new and potential partners, such as Bally Bet Kansas, Barstool Kansas, BetMGM Kansas, Caesars Kansas, DraftKings Kansas, FanDuel Kansas, and PointsBet Kansas.

Most popular sports to bet on in Kansas

Kansas does not have any major professional sports teams from the four biggest leagues. However, it is still home to an MLS squad, and there are teams in adjacent states that Kansas sports fans are loyal to. So, once online sports betting finally gets enabled, these are the biggest and most popular sports that we expect to see.

NCAA

Kansas has a number of college teams, but none as big and as popular as Kansas Jayhawks, followed in popularity and success by the Kansas State Wildcats and also Wichita State Shockers. In fact, the Shockers have seen moderate success in March Madness this year and are always a dangerous mid-major for power conference teams to play.

NFL

While Kansas City Chiefs are actually located on the Missouri side of the border, they are still the biggest favorite among sports fans from Kansas. Their games routinely air in the state, and their recent success has increased the interest and hype among the locals in Kansas. Other than them, Kansas sports fans also like Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.

NBA

Unfortunately, Kansas sports fans have had to say goodbye to a number of NBA teams from nearby Missouri over the years, with the Kansas City Kings being the most recent team to leave in the 1980s. The state was left with few NBA options after that, but the residents still tend to rally behind Oklahoma City Thunder, even though they did not see much success in recent seasons.

MLB

In terms of MLB, pretty much everyone roots for the Kansas City Royals, who also call Missouri home but are still close to the hearts and minds of Kansas’ sports fans. They also won a World Series in the past decade, which is still a strong memory in these parts.

MLS

Kansas has only one MLS sports team, and that is Sporting City KC. Previously, they were known as the Kansas City Wiz, and they managed to achieve two MLS Cup victories since their foundation.

Motorsports

Finally, it is worth noting that Kansas Speedway plays host to two annual NASCAR Cup Series races, as well as a few other NASCAR events annually. As a result, motorsports are pretty big in the state, and that means that it is very likely that this will be a huge hit among online sports bettors.

What are the legal gambling options in Kansas?

Kansas is not the biggest state in terms of gambling options, but it does have a handful of outlets that its residents can turn to in order to place a bet. In total, it has 10 casino locations, with 6 of them being tribal locations and the remaining 4 being state-owned. The casinos include the following:

1. 7th Street Casino
2. Boot Hill Casino
3. Crosswinds Casino
4. Casino White Cloud
5. Golden Eagle Casino
6. Sac and Fox Casino
7. Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel
8. Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway
9. Prairie Band Casino & Resort
10. Kansas Star Casino

Daily Fantasy Sports in Kansas

Yes, with sports betting, gambling, and even horse racing all legal in the state of Kansas, daily fantasy sports is certainly also an option. In fact, this has been a fully regulated and valid activity since 2015, when former governor Sam Brownback signed off on HB 2155 after it managed to pass both chambers.

Horse Racing in Kansas

Betting on horses is legal in the state of Kansas, but there are no tracks that currently operate in the state. In fact, horse betting is only available online as of right now, and it can be reached through companies like BetAmerica, TwinSpires, and TVG. Live horse racing has not taken place in Kansas in almost 15 years, since 2008. It has been legal in the country since 1987, however.