Kansas Gaming Commission Approves Temporary Sports Betting Rules

• The Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission Endorsed Interim Sports Betting Rules
• The KRGC Has Been Accepting Sports Betting License Applications for Weeks Now
• The Next KRGC meeting is Set for Sept. 7, a Day Before the NFL Season Launches

It was a smooth regulatory move by the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission (KRGC) to approve a set of temporary rules late last week that, for now, will guide the setup of that state’s new legal sports betting market, that launch still without a specific date on the calendar.

It’s a race against time, or more aptly the NFL regular season start date on September 8, an unlikely deadline far in advance of the one set by the KRGC on January 1, 2023, their spokesman telling the media:

The Kansas lottery and the KRGC are working hard to meet the goal of opening for the start of the NFL season. A launch date has not been set yet, but both agencies would like to be open for sports wagers soon.

Now that both the KRGC and the Kansas lottery have signed off on these interim rules, the next step is to create the contracts with the area casinos who by law own the Kansas gaming market, and according to KRGC Commissioner Chair David Moses:

There is nothing we are doing to hold up sports wagering in Kansas.

In fact, that ball has already been rolling.

The KRGC Has Been Accepting Sports Betting License Applications for Weeks Now

In an effort to be fully prepared for this moment in the regulatory process, the KRGC has been accepting sports betting license applications since the start of August and now that these temporary rules are in place they can begin processing these apps which can take some time.

In the over thirty other U.S. states and Washington D.C. where sports betting has already been made legal, it has taken up to 90 days to process those operator applications so that would still put Kansas ahead of their end of year plan, but the NFL seasonal start might not be doable.

None of this would be possible had the U.S. Supreme Court not overturned PASPA in May 2018 thereby allowing the individual states to make up their mind on whether they would like a legal sports betting market for residents, a multi-billion dollar industry in North America.

Now it’s up to the KRGC to work within these temporary guidelines to approve the sportsbooks who are hoping to operate in that new market.

The Next KRGC meeting is Set for Sept. 7, a Day Before the NFL Season Launches

The Kansas lottery is required to publish the process for license requests by September 1, and they meet again the day before the start of the NFL season on Sept 7, but in the meantime they will be working with the KRGC to make sure that the legal sports betting market there will work.

As for which sportsbooks are most likely to operate there, watch for the regular players including Barstool Sportsbook at Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway, Caesars Sportsbook at Kansas Crossing, DraftKings at Boot Hill Casino, and FanDuel at Kansas Star offering mobile and retail options.

Bally’s, BetMGM, FOX Bet, and PointsBet will be mobile only, a solid array of oddsmaker choices for Kansas bettors who will help to create a tax revenue stream that will go towards a fund to attract pro sports teams to the state, a potentially lucrative venture for both sides.