Inching ever closer
It appears that sportsbooks won’t be up and running in Kansas in time for the beginning of the new NFL season on September 8. The betting sector should be able to launch at some stage during the course of the season, however, as the mandated deadline is January 1, 2023.
approval to draft sports betting regulations after making a number of amendments
Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission (KRGC) director of wagering Todd Allen has revealed that there is good progress being made on finalizing the sector’s regulations. The commission has given its approval to draft sports betting regulations after making a number of amendments.
The current plan is for the commission to get the amendments officially added to the regulations and then send everything to the state Attorney General’s office. These will initially be temporary regulations for the sector, with further changes being possible down the line. The idea behind having temporary regulations is to speed up the process of launching the sports betting sector.
A long time coming
When sports betting does finally launch, state-operated casinos will be permitted to open retail sportsbooks; online sportsbooks can also go live at the same time.
It has taken about four years for legal sports betting to come to Kansas. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed sports betting legislation in May, with the bill becoming law on July 1. There was hope at the time that sportsbooks could be live in time for the start of the NFL season.
The last step in the process is for the Attorney General’s office to finalize the sector’s regulations before sportsbooks can open. The KRGC has already started accepting license applications from interested parties, while the lottery has started approving sports betting-related ads for television and social media.
Proper preparation
Lawmakers are trying to make sure that they get everything right the first time around in order to provide a good experience for bettors, as well as protect the integrity of sports.
While the NFL season is very popular among bettors and is usually a big earner for sportsbook operators, the Kansas authorities did not want to rush the process.
already allowing people to pre-register their accounts
Each of the four state-operated casinos can partner with up to three online sportsbook operators. Some of the operators that already have relationships in place with casinos include DraftKings, FanDuel, Barstool, BetMGM, and Caesars. Certain operators are already allowing people to pre-register their accounts.