Kansas Sports Betting: Best 6 Kansas Betting Apps for December 2023
Kansas sports betting is legal, with six online sportsbooks now available. FanDuel, Caesars, BetMGM, and DraftKings are among the sports betting sites now active in Kansas since launching in September 2022.
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Best Kansas sports betting sites 2023
What’s happening in Kansas sports betting right now
- Nov. 15, 2023 — Kansas sports betting handle hit a new record high in October at $249.7 million. That total was up 31.5% year-over-year, breaking September’s record by $30.5 million.
- Nov. 14, 2023 — ESPN Bet is now live in Kansas, taking over for Barstool Sportsbook.
- Oct. 18, 2023 — PENN Entertainment announced that ESPN Bet will take over for Barstool Sportsbook and officially launch on Nov. 14. ESPN Bet will be live in 17 states, including Kansas.
- Oct. 18, 2023 — Kansas sports betting handle jumped to $219.2 million in September, a 132% increase from August and a 37% from September 2022, the state’s first month of legal betting. Last month’s total was the highest ever for the state.
- Sept. 27, 2023 — DraftKings reportedly offered a Taylor Swift-themed prop in Week 3 of the NFL season that involved Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Eagles running back D’Andre Swift.
- Sept. 11, 2023 — Kansas sports betting handle rose to $94.4 million in August, an 18.4% increase month-over-month. Revenue fell 28.8% to $4.84 million.
- Sept. 8, 2023 — The Kansas City Chiefs are one of nine NFL teams partnered with Game Sense and BetMGM to do in-stadium responsible gambling promotion during the season.
Is sports betting legal in Kansas?
Yes, Kansas sports betting is legal after a soft launch on Sept. 1, 2022. Six online sportsbooks received initial approval alongside retail sportsbooks at Kansas casinos. The state’s four casinos can operate retail sportsbooks and partner with up to three online sites.
Comparing Kansas online sportsbooks
Kansas sports betting law includes up to three online skins for each of the four casinos in the state. On Sept. 1, six online sportsbooks went live, all offering sports betting promos. We will keep track of new sportsbooks as partnerships are announced and they become available in the state.
| Kansas Casino | Casino Operator | Retail Sportsbook | Online Sportsbook #1 | Online Sportsbook #2 | Online Sportsbook #3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway | Penn National Gaming | PENN Play | ESPN Bet (live) | — | — |
| Kansas Star Casino | Boyd Gaming | FanDuel Sportsbook | FanDuel (live) | — | — |
| Boot Hill Casino & Resort | Boot Hill Gaming | DraftKings Sportsbook | DraftKings (live) | Bally Bet | — |
| Kansas Crossing Casino & Hotel | Peninsula Pacific Ent | Caesars Sportsbook | BetMGM (live) | Caesars (live) | PointsBet (live) |
Here is a closer look at the top sportsbook apps available in Kansas:
1. FanDuel Kansas
The FanDuel Sportsbook app is perhaps the easiest to navigate and use of any major online book in the country. Customers will also note many options for same-game parlays, a relatively rare type of wager in the US until FanDuel started offering them. The company is also slated to operate the retail sportsbook at the Kansas Star Casino.
- App Store rating: 4.8 (iOS), 4.7 (Android)
- Key takeaway: Easy to use and lots of options.
- Best feature: Same-game parlays
- Welcome bonus: Bet $5 on any Money Line, Get $150 in Bonus Bets if Your Team Wins.
2. Caesars Kansas
Caesars Sportsbook is live in Kansas thanks to a deal with the Kansas Crossing Casino. Few sportsbooks in the US offer bonuses as often as Caesars. The book also has a variety of daily odds boosts. The website and app are simple and perhaps lacking in a few innovative features, but they do the job with few quirks or hiccups. The company’s Caesars Rewards program is a top choice in the industry.
- App Store rating: 4.6 (iOS), 4.4 Android
- Key takeaway: Competitive odds for a deep bench of sports.
- Best feature: Regular promos
- Welcome bonus: Up to $1,000 with code LSR1000.
3. BetMGM Kansas
BetMGM Sportsbook is legal and available for online bets in Kansas via a partnership with the Kansas Crossing Casino. Among the book’s strengths are competitive pregame and in-game betting odds. BetMGM customers can earn points and tier credits via the larger MGM loyalty program. While BetMGM’s core app functionality is above average, it sometimes lags in other areas, like navigation.
- App Store rating: 4.8 (iOS), 4.4 (Android)
- Key takeaway: Large selection of betting options.
- Best feature: Edit my bet
- Welcome bonus: Up to $1,500 with code PLAYLSR.
4. DraftKings Kansas
DraftKings Sportsbook thrives on innovation and has an app that works smoothly. One of its features, the stats hub, allows you to research each team’s past performance on the field and how it performed against the spread, within moneylines, and other common wagers. DraftKings also offers betting pools that let friends wager against each other in private contests. But, one of the drawbacks is the app’s promotions for existing users, which tend to be relatively scarce. The company also plans to operate the retail sportsbook at Boot Hill Casino.
- App store rating: 4.8 (iOS), 4.6 (Android)
- Key takeaway: DraftKings offers several features that are unavailable at other books.
- Best feature: Live betting
- Welcome bonus: Up to $1,200 in bonuses. Click to claim promo.
Full list of Kansas sports betting apps
Though six legal online sportsbooks are active in Kansas right now, there could be as many as 12 in the future. Below are the current options, and we will continue to add to the list as new ones arrive:
- DraftKings Sportsbook
- FanDuel Sportsbook
- BetMGM Sportsbook
- Caesars Sportsbook
- PointsBet Sportsbook (soon to be Fanatics Sportsbook)
- ESPN Bet Sportsbook
The road to legal sports betting in Kansas
A Kansas House committee started work on HB 2470 in March 2022, nearly a year after a bill to allow sports betting in Kansas passed the Senate in 2021. The House inserted the language from HB 2470 into SB 84 and advanced it. The two chambers then worked out their differences in a conference committee.
The House passed the deal before adjourning for a three-week veto break, but the Senate did not. The chamber voted on the issue when it returned later in April, first rejecting a deal before agreeing to an adjusted one. A late-night session resulted in a 21-13 vote in favor of SB 84. The bill received Gov. Laura Kelly’s signature in May 2022 and became effective as law on July 1, 2022. A soft launch took place Sept. 1.
The bill legalizes retail and online sports betting through the state’s four casinos. In addition, the bill calls for the following:
- Each casino can have up to three online skins and enter into up to 50 retailer partnerships, including with the Kansas Speedway.
- A casino can also request an additional online skin in partnership with a professional sports team (Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer).
- The state taxes retail and online sports betting at a rate of 10%.
- People in Kansas can bet on any pro sports, college sports and motorsports or special events authorized by the state.
In May 2023, Kansas lawmakers removed language from the state’s sports betting law, allowing tribes to start offering online sports betting as part of their compacts with the state.
Most popular sports to bet on in Kansas
Although Kansas does not host any major professional sports teams from the four biggest leagues, it is home to an MLS squad. In addition, teams in adjacent states hold Kansan loyalties and several in-state colleges with large fanbases. Here are some popular betting options:
NCAA
No college team in Kansas holds more sway than the Kansas Jayhawks. KU is a perennial power in basketball and has fielded strong teams in many other sports. Kansans who don’t care for the Jayhawks might pull for the Kansas State Wildcats. Kansas is also home to the Wichita State Shockers, who have had moderate success in March Madness and can be a dangerous mid-major for power conference teams.
NFL
Even though the Kansas City Chiefs call the Missouri side of the border home, the team is a fan favorite in the Sunflower State. Chiefs games routinely air across the state, and the franchise’s recent success has only increased local interest. In Kansas, you might find supporters of the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys. Whether an NFL team ever moves to Kansas, NFL betting will likely remain one of the most popular wagering options in the state.
NBA
Kansas residents have dealt with the departures of several NBA teams from nearby Missouri over the years. Most recently, the Kansas City Kings left for Sacramento in the 1980s, leaving Kansans without many options for NBA loyalties. For residents who still want a team, some may look south to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Unfortunately, the Thunder haven’t done much of note in recent seasons. You also may find some Philadelphia 76ers fans in the state, as the most famous Jayhawk in the league, Joel Embiid, plays for them.
MLB
The most prominent team to hold the hearts of Kansas baseball fans is the Kansas City Royals. The Royals, like their NFL counterpart, call Missouri home but are an obvious proxy for Kansans. The franchise won the World Series in 2015.
MLS
The only major sports team in Kansas proper is Major League Soccer’s Sporting City KC. Depending on Kansas legislation, the team plays its games at Children’s Mercy Park, which could become a venue for a sportsbook sometime in the future. Sporting City KC, formerly known as the Kansas City Wiz, has two MLS Cup victories in its history.
Motorsports
Kansas Speedway hosts two annual NASCAR Cup Series races and several other NASCAR events each year. In particular, the Hollywood Casino 400 is one of 10 NASCAR events that serve as playoff races for the main season.
Legal gambling options in Kansas
While Kansas is not particularly well-known for gambling, there are several outlets for Kansas residents to place a bet. The primary venues are the 10 casino locations in the state.
Six of these casinos are tribal operations owned by federally recognized Native American tribes that reside in Kansas. The other four casinos are commercial properties. One of the commercial casinos is state-owned, a rarity in the United States, and the Kansas Lottery manages all of the games there. The Kansas Expanded Lottery Act of 2007 authorized the four casinos to be located in different areas of the state. Another casino, the Golden Circle Casino, is scheduled to open in fall 2024, where the Wichita Greyhound Park stood before closing in 2007. Kansans can gamble at the following places:
- 7th Street Casino — 777 N. Seventh St. Trafficway, Kansas City, KS 66101
- Boot Hill Casino — 4000 W. Comanche St., Dodge City, KS 67801
- Casino White Cloud — 777 Jackpot Drive, White Cloud, KS 66094
- Crosswinds Casino — 777 Jackpot Drive, Park City, KS 67147
- Golden Eagle Casino — 1121 Goldfinch Road, Horton, KS 66439
- Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway — 777 Hollywood Casino Blvd., Kansas City, KS 66111
- Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel — 1275 S, US Highway 69, Pittsburg, KS 66762
- Kansas Star Casino — 777 Kansas Star Drive, Mulvane, KS 67110
- Prairie Band Casino & Resort — 12305 150th Road, Mayetta, KS 66509
- Sac and Fox Casino — 1322 US Highway 75, Powhattan, KS 66527
The other main outlet for Kansans is the Kansas Lottery. The lottery offers the standard scratch-off tickets and draw options that you can find in many other states. Major multi-state drawings like Mega Millions and Powerball are available at any Kansas Lottery retailer.
In addition, the Kansas Lottery offers several games through its retail outlets, such as keno, the keno-like Racetrax and the Millionaire Raffle. Although the lottery has an information app, purchasing Kansas Lottery tickets online is impossible.
There are illegal offshore websites that offer sports betting in Kansas. They do not hold a license from any US jurisdiction to legally accept bets from residents. Without regulation from the state, these offshore betting sites are under no obligation to pay out winnings or refund deposits if they cease operations or change their names. The only safe and protected way to bet on sports in the United States is with a licensed sportsbook.
Can you play daily fantasy sports in Kansas?
Yes. Daily fantasy sports contests are legal in Kansas. They have been legal and regulated as valid activities in the Sunflower State since 2015. Then-Gov. Sam Brownback signed off on HB 2155 after it passed both chambers of the Kansas Legislature. The bill also increased options for playing bingo, lottery games and raffles in Kansas.
Is horse betting legal in Kansas?
Betting on horse races is legal in Kansas, although there are no tracks operating in the state. Horse betting is only available online via TVG, BetAmerica, and TwinSpires.
However, live horse racing has not occurred in the state since 2008. In 1987, following voter approval of a constitutional amendment, the Kansas Legislature legalized horse and greyhound racing with the Kansas Parimutuel Racing Act. The hub of greyhound breeding in the US is in Abilene, Kansas.
The three horse racing tracks and one greyhound track operated in the state closed shortly after Kansas legalized casino gambling with the Kansas Expanded Lottery Act of 2007. That act also permitted racetracks to offer slot machines, but at a 40% tax compared to the 22% tax the casinos would pay.
There are discussions that the tracks could reopen if they could offer sports betting on a level playing field with the casino tax rate on electronic gambling machines. However, an amendment to the 2020 Kansas sports betting bill on the Senate floor lowering the slot machine tax for racetracks to 22% failed by a narrow margin.
Kansas sports betting timeline
2022: Following several sessions in the House Federal and State Affairs Committee, the House inserts the language from a compromise bill, HB 2470, into SB 84, which passed the Senate in 2021. While the base of the proposals are the same — conducting sports betting through up to three skins each from the four casinos in the state — the House adds several other components.
The chambers come to an agreement, including the House addition of retail partnerships. The conference committee also agrees to a 10% tax on retail and online sports betting.
The House approves the deal before adjourning for a three-week veto break. The Senate does not advance the bill but takes it up when it returns. A 21-13 vote seals the deal on April 29, sending SB 84 to the governor, who signs it into law on May 12. The law goes into effect on July 1. On Aug. 18, the state announces Sept. 1 as the date for a soft launch of sports betting. The full launch commences on Sept. 8 for the start of the NFL season. Six sports betting sites launched Sept. 1.
Two retail sportsbooks also receive approval, while two others planned to launch soon after.
During the first day of Kansas sports betting, more than 16,000 Missourians attempt to bet at online Kansas sportsbooks, according to GeoComply data. Most of those, approximately 60%, were in Kansas City, Missouri.
The opening of the Kansas sports betting market helps mobile US sportsbook logins jump 71.5% year-over-year during the Week 1 NFL weekend. Kansas accounts for 3.5% of the 103.1 million logins tracked by GeoComply.
Kansas sportsbooks take $160 million in bets during their first month of sports betting in the state. FanDuel and DraftKings account for more than 70% of the handle.
2021: The Kansas Senate passes a bill in March 2021 that would expand the state lottery and allow each of the state’s four casinos to partner with three online sportsbooks.
The House votes against a substation for the Senate bill, 77-40. That vote effectively kills the chances of Kansas sports betting legalization in 2021. The House bill included a lottery sportsbook partner, allowing for up to 1,200 retailers to take sports bets on lottery-approved machines. The state’s casinos were also allowed one sportsbook partner for online betting.
Another hurdle for Kansas sports betting in 2021: Gov. Laura Kelly previously was against sports betting bills, but could be amendable to more money flowing through the lottery.
2020: The Kansas Senate embraces a more sportsbook-friendly path in 2020 and passes a bill to authorize sports betting at the four state-owned casinos with a tiered tax structure of 7.5% for in-person wagers and 10% for online wagers.
A House hearing shows that the Senate bill has universal support from the casinos but opposition from the non-operating racetracks, horse and greyhound industries in Kansas. There were also reports that Gov. Laura Kelly will not sign the Senate bill as passed.
There are big differences between the Senate bill and the House bill, which would allow sports wagering at up to 1,200 lottery retailers as well as doubling the tax rate and requiring the use of official league data.
It was already going to be a difficult path to iron out those differences, but any chance was upended as coronavirus cut the legislative session three weeks short.
2019: After getting out to an early start with action the previous year, Kansas sports betting seems to be a good bet entering 2019.
However, the legislative effort never gets off the ground due to disagreement over who would run sports betting. The Kansas Constitution specifies that the state must run any gambling. This is why the state owns the four casinos but partners with gambling companies to operate and run them.
An effort for the lottery to run KS sports betting at a 50% tax rate draws opposition from the casino companies, killing that plan.
2018: The Kansas Legislature is at it with sports betting legislation even before the US Supreme Court overturns PASPA in May 2018.
The legislature holds hearings on three bills, including one that would authorize the Kansas Lottery to conduct wagering at lottery retailers and by contracting with gambling and horse racing facilities.
Kansas is one of the first states in which a sports betting integrity fee appeared in favor of the professional sports leagues.
Kansas sports betting FAQ
Who oversees sports betting in Kansas?
The Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission and the Kansas Lottery. Per SB 84, the lottery oversees sports betting regulation, and the KRGC handles regulations for sports gambling advertisements.
What is the legal gambling age in Kansas?
You must be 21 or older for casinos and sports betting and 18 or older for the lottery and online horse betting.
Some sports betting websites say they accept bets from the United States. Are those legal options?
No. No sportsbooks are licensed at the federal level, which means all legal sportsbooks in the US are licensed at the state level. Any website that accepts bets from anywhere in the US is operating offshore. It is not legal for those sites to accept bets from US citizens, and such sites offer no protection to those who bet there.