Is Sports Betting Legal in Kansas?

Like most Midwestern states, Kansas is making a pretty big push to get sports betting going. Is Kansas more of Great Plains state than a Midwestern state? Either way, Kansas is part of a swath of land across the middle of the US that has been very proactive about legalized wagering. Before PASPA was even struck down by the Supreme Court, Kansas was discussing sports betting. Amazingly, there really doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of posturing and arguing about sports betting within the state. The application of sports betting, namely, where people will be allowed to bet, is the primary point of contention. Like most states, Kansas’s legislature won’t be back in session until 2019, so nothing will happen this year, but a lot of preliminary discussions have already been had. That means the Kansas house can get right down to the brass tacks when things resume in the winter. Kansas does have casinos. You may not have known that, but the state has them. Kansas also has race tracks and a lottery, like so many states in the US. Will bets be taken at the race tracks and through the lottery only? Can the casinos take sports wagers? That is the primary hold-up in the state congress right now. Let’s be honest, sports betting is an easy sell, though states are probably overselling the revenue it will actually bring in. With a large part of the constituency in every state seemingly on board, Kansas will move, but we’ll see how quickly.   Recent News Stories About Betting A tag team effort from Allison Kite and Hunter Woodall in the Kansas City Star covered a lot on what state reps had to say regarding gambling and about the numbers being thrown about. Back before PASPA was even struck down, legalized betting was on the minds of representatives. Jonathan Shorman of the Wichita Eagle covered that story. One of those state reps, Jan Kessinger, spoke with reporters and KSHB 41 about the bill he introduced before the PASPA ruling.   Forecast Add Kansas to the list of states that should move quickly when the calendar flips over. Once the infrastructure is determined, and the preferred method will likely be the one that puts the most money back into the state, then everything should be approved.   Neighboring States Colorado Missouri Nebraska Oklahoma