Weekly News – Weekly Roundup 8/19/2022

Chris Altman Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

Not Just Dust in the Wind, Kansas' Hopes for Legal Sportsbooks Are Realized

Kansas was not on many folks' radar when it came to legalizing online betting, but the state officials watching precious dollars leave the state to Iowa, Colorado, and even Nebraska said enough is enough.

The Kansas Racing Commission (now the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission) is taking the reins (get it?) in tandem with the KS Lottery to regulate, facilitate, and importantly tax online sportsbooks in the Sunflower State. That tax rate is set at a modest 10%, with 80% of that 10 going towards a fund to attract major sports teams to Kansas.

Kansas's sports betting law stands to be a relatively open and competitive market, with more sportsbooks than New York (twelve to New York's eight), with no in-person registration requirement and the ability to bet on the majority of collegiate sporting events. This is huge for Kansas, as the state doesn't claim any professional sporting teams of their own.

The tug of war with Missouri begins once again, and the resounding cry from Kansas City, KS wants big name teams in the state. Meanwhile, the turf war over the Kansas City Chiefs continues, as Kansas fights for ground and legitimacy in a bid to bring the Chiefs to Kansas. Sibling rivalry is a nasty business, and with its recent win over MO by legalizing sports betting, Kansas seems to be taking the lead.

The Bay State to Become The Play State, Online Sports Betting Imminent

MA also made the right moves to legalize online betting this year!

H 5164 became law on August 10th, 2022 after being signed by Governor Charlie Baker, a moderate Republican who is famously pro-sportsbooks. Now that MA sports betting is law, eager bettors are checking the headlines with one question in mind: when can we bet?

From reports, in-person betting will be first in line, as local casinos have already been building the groundwork to allow for legal sports betting on premises. As is the case with most states, however, it's up to the MA Gaming Commission to establish the ruleset before any betting can take place. On Thursday, they released a Notice of Intent Form, which is essentially a sign-up list for sportsbook operators that will want to apply for a license when they're available.

Operators and interested parties have until August 31 to fill out the Notice of Intent Form, after which... something will happen. The form itself states that an interested party doesn't have to fill out the form to be considered, so we can only assume this is a way to test the waters to see how many operators might apply.

Fifteen mobile apps will be allowed to release in the Bay State, but there still isn't a timeline for the launch of legal sportsbooks in MA: the smart money is on betting being available in time for the NFL Championships early next year.

Written by Chris Altman, our US sports betting industry expert.

Chris Altman

Chris Altman is a sports betting writer and content expert with almost a decade of experience. He's covered everything, but his current focus is on reviewing sportsbooks and online casinos and keeping tabs on sports betting legislation. Chris has been with VegasInsider since 2019 and has freelanced in the sports betting content industry for years. More from Chris Altman