KS Gaming Commission Dawdling on Sports Betting Regulations, Delaying Launch

• Kansas Gaming Commission Has Yet to Draft/Vote on Regulations, Says Director
• Mid-August Regulation Vote Expected, Which Could Push Back Sports Betting Launch
• Sportsbook Approval Process Planned for September, Same as 2022 NFL Season Start

Over thirty U.S. states have legalized, regulated, launched, and now tax their own sports betting markets, and joining them on that multi-step journey is Kansas, whose lawmakers and Governor Laura Kelly completed the first step in that process by signing their own bill into law.

That was back in May 2022, and ever since it’s been the job of the body in charge of launching this market – the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission (KRGC) – to begin drafting up and voting on regulations that sportsbooks operating there will follow once the launch happens.

But so far, according to KRGC Director Todd Allen, none of those regulations have been fully drafted, so there could be no vote, a stall in the process that could delay the launch that Governor Kelly was expecting to happen by September 8th in time for the NFL.

As we have reported, Kansas is setting up their sports betting market in such a way so as to entice other pro teams from neighboring states – Missouri’s K.C. Chiefs and Royals – into moving to the Sunflower State where they can make lots of money with a sports betting market.

But the KRGC’s regulatory dawdling could push the Kansas launch back to the end of the year.

Mid-August Regulation Vote Expected, Which Could Push Back Sports Betting Launch

What the other states that are now in the sports betting market have discovered is that the total monthly handle can increase or decrease depending on what sports season is in play, so there are up and down times and one of the big gambling ups is the start of the NFL regular season.

Pro football starts on September 8 this year, which explains the Governors early prediction for a sports betting market launch in Kansas, but according to KRGC Director Allen, with the slow execution of the regulatory process, that start date now seems unlikely.

The plan is to have the regulations drafted and voted on by August 12 at the earliest, so even if that were to happen that does not give the KRGC and the sportsbooks much time to get their platforms tested and in place by the opening kickoff between the Buffalo Bills and L.A. Rams.

Regardless, that’s the plan.

Sportsbook Approval Process Planned for September, Same as 2022 NFL Season Start

If Kansas can get all their regulatory ducks in a row and launch by the start of the NFL season, they stand to gain millions of dollars in tax revenue that they could make off the Week 1 action, but whether all those moving parts can coordinate and move forward is still undecided.

It makes sense that the KRGC is taking its time to set up this market, since their regulations will dictate how profitable and fluid this Kansas operation will be, though expect lots of evolution through trial and error in the aftermath since each state’s market requires post-launch tweaking.

For Kansas to make a legitimate play for Missouri’s sports teams, a legal sports betting market as enticement must be in play, so it makes sense that the KRGC members will do whatever it takes in the upcoming weeks to get that to happen before the Show Me State does it first.