State officials appear to have beaten all odds to ensure a smooth start on September 1st Kansas legal sports betting. Just in time for football season, bettors and their state-licensed brokers can breathe a sigh of relief.
Keep the governor’s promise
Gov. Laura Kelly made the pledge earlier this year, stating that domestic sportsbooks would be fully operational ahead of the NFL’s launch in September. And while it seems Kelly can now honor that commitment, that certainty hasn’t always been so clear
Kansas’ ambitious start date would make for one of the nation’s fastest debuts and raise concerns with such haste. The timeframe from legalization to launch gave state authorities just under four months to put together an effective sports betting infrastructure.
The Kansas Racing & Gaming Commission (KRGC) has been working consistently on a time crunch to address retail and mobile sports betting options ready for the public.
As of early August, gaming officials still had to conduct licensee background checks, draft and approve preliminary betting policies, and conduct operator inspections.
Securing the soft start
As the KRGC and the Kansas Lottery are making immense efforts to get things moving, sports fans should also thank their Attorney General Derek Schmidt for the recent developments.
Schmidt’s approval was the final step for the KRGC to put its sports betting rules into action. Through the end of the week, the Kansas Lottery and KRGC will be working closely with sportsbook licensees to prepare operators for a soft start.
However, bettors should not be alarmed by the term “soft launch”. A full-blown debut will come out just a week later, coinciding with the start of the NFL regular season.
The Kansas Lottery’s Cory Thone explains that the reason for a staggered launch is to ensure consumer protection standards are met before the big bets get rolling. He says:
“The ‘soft launch’ is just a way of giving our casino partners and their platforms the opportunity to get started, taking bets, etc. before the official start of the professional football season.”
“Just add a runway to ensure everything is safe, secure and operational for our players.”
What’s in store for us for legal betting in Kansas
The new legal sports betting state a particularly lucrative first business quarter is expected. Beyond football, this fall will be packed with professional sporting events.
Between the NBA season that begins in October, the MLB World Series in November and the FIFA World Cup Finals in December, there’s plenty to look forward to.
We expect sports betting engagement to break multiple records nationwide, and it’s very exciting that Kansans can be a part of that.
To stay up to date on sports betting in Kansas be sure to visit our website.
Source: DAC, Kansas City Star