Kansas lawmakers have given their final approval to a bill that legalizes sports betting in the state.
SB 84 was passed by the House and referred to a Senate committee. This was despite indications yesterday that the Senate had rejected the committee report putting a block on sports betting in Kansas. However, following some amendments the Senate agreed to vote on the bill and passed it by 21-13.
Sports betting will be available at casinos and through mobile apps
The bill, which has been sent to the Governor Laura Kelly’s desk to be signed into law, will allow both retail sports betting at Kansas casinos and mobile sports betting from anywhere within the state.
Supporters of the bill believe that a regulated sports betting market could generate from $6 million to $10 million for the state. Those same supporters have suggested that this money could be used to lure a pro sports team to the state.
Speaking of the bill Rep. Stephanie Clayton said:
“It does end up benefiting a lot of local Kansas businesses because people will be coming here spending your money here.”
On the possibility of a pro team relocating to Kansas she added:
“It remains to be seen if any professional sports team would look at that but again this is not much different than a lot of economic development incentive packages.”
While no official launch date has been given, there are hopes that the industry could be up and running by late 2022 or early 2023.
An experienced iGaming commentator and analyst based in New York City - Jenny reports on regulation and gambling industry news and events.