Kansas Sports Betting Crosses $4 Billion Mark As Budget Year Ends

Kansas Sports Betting Crosses $4 Billion Mark As Budget Year Ends

Kansas sportsbooks crossed the $4 billion mark as the state closed out the first 20 months of Kansas sports betting.

The Kansas Lottery concluded the final month of the budget year with its June report. Online sportsbooks began taking wagers in September 2022.

The June 2024 numbers pushed lifetime bets over the milestone:

  • September 2022 to June 2023 — $1,676,590,108 (partial year)
  • July 2023 to June 2024 — $2,363,711,655
  • All-Time Total — $4,040,301,763

June 2024 Kansas Sports Betting

The state’s sportsbooks collected $140.1 million in bets for the most recent reporting month. June 2024 numbers are up 42.8% compared to $98.1 million from the first June of Kansas sports betting in 2023.

June 2024 was down 18.6% month-to-month compared to May 2024. The slide isn’t unusual — sports betting falls off during the summer months. Numbers traditionally rebound, starting with the August report from the Kansas Lottery.

Kansas bettors also followed national patterns by overwhelmingly choosing online sports betting over a casino visit. Gamblers placed about 96.6% of their betting dollars online.

DraftKings leads the Kansas Market

At $66.4 million, DraftKings leads the Kansas betting industry with about 47.4% of the June 2024 handle. FanDuel sportsbook followed with $40.4 million and 28.8% of the month’s bets.

Altogether, the state’s remaining four sportsbooks combined for about $33.8 million and 23.8% of the June 2024 market:

  • ESPN BET — $11.19 million (8%)
  • BetMGM — $11.15 million (8%)
  • Caesars — $6.2 million (4.6%)
  • Fanatics — $4.4 million (3.2%)

Is March (Madness) Tops in Kansas?

March is a huge betting month — regardless of state — because of the NCAA basketball tournaments. But, even in Kansas, football seems to drive the biggest sports betting handle numbers (though college basketball bets begin in November, too).

Nine months have topped the $200 million mark so far:

  • November 2023 — $260.9 million
  • December 2023 — $259.7 million
  • March 2024 — $252.9 million
  • October 2023 — $249.7 million
  • January 2024 — $239.6 million
  • September 2023 — $219.3 million
  • March 2023 — $206.3 million
  • January 2023 — $206.1 million
  • February 2024 — $203 million

20 Months of Sports Betting Revenue and Taxes

The Sunflower State’s $4 billion industry generated about $175.9 million in revenue for the Kansas sportsbooks and their casino partners. The state gets about $17.6 million by taxing the sports gambling industry.

Could some of the state’s share lure the Kansas City Chiefs and/or Kansas City Royals to the Kansas side of the border?

The Chiefs want Missouri to help overhaul GEHA Field Arrowhead Stadium, and the Royals want a new ballpark, so it’s possible.

The Kansas side of Kansas City already has a NASCAR speedway and Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill allowing the state to issue bonds for stadium construction in June. Future sports betting money would help pay back the bonds.

Missouri does not have sports betting, so the Show Me State may need to find an alternative revenue source to woo their incumbent franchises.

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About the Author
Russ Mitchell

Russ Mitchell

Lead Writer
Russ Mitchell joined Gaming Today as a lead writer in February 2023 after joining Catena Media in 2021 as a managing editor for the PlayIA and PlayVA brands. He covers sports betting industry, market developments, the college sports betting industry, and the four major North American pro sports leagues. He brings 25+ years of journalism experience to Gaming Today. He is a five-time winner of the Iowa’s prestigious Harrison “Skip” Weber Investigative Reporting award, a two-time National Newspaper Association award winner and a 50-time Iowa Newspaper Association award winner.

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