Kansas Casinos Launch Sports Betting with Six Online Operators Kansas Casinos Launch Sports Betting with Six Online Operators
@kansas_star
Key Takeaways
  • Barstool, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel, and PointsBet are the first to launch in the Sunflower State.
  • On Thursday, the first day of the NFL season, six operators were approved to launch their services.
  • Kansas is a small market, with approximately 2.9 million residents.
  • DraftKings is operating the retail sportsbook at the Boot Hill Casino & Resort, while Barstool Sports has that honor at the Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway.

Sports betting has gone live in Kansas. On Thursday, the first day of the NFL season, six operators were approved to launch their services.

Late last month, the Kansas Lottery Commission (KLC) authorized six operators for sports betting in the state: Barstool Sports, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel, and PointsBet. These began a soft launch on September 1 ahead of the full opening yesterday.

“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to deliver our award-wining products to Kansas sports fans for the 2022 NFL and college football seasons,” said Matt Kalish, DraftKings Co-Founder and President, DraftKings North America, in a statement last week. It is DraftKings’ 18th US state in which it offers an online sportsbook.

Early indications are that these six operators will be joined by three others in short order, but additional operators are keeping their distance, for now. Kansas is a small market, with approximately 2.9 million residents. It ranks 36th in terms of population among US states, just below Nevada in 33rd place (with 3.1 million residents) but ahead of West Virginia in 40th (1.8 million).