Kansas Enjoys Year-Over-Year Sports Betting Increase

The Kansas mobile gaming industry is growing increasingly robust, as the year-over-year numbers are undeniable evidence that sports betting in the Sunflower State is on the rise and continuing to grow.

April Showers Money on Sportsbooks

According to the Kansas Lottery, in April, retail and online sportsbooks recorded a $208.8 million handle (total accepted bets), which generated a healthy $13.2 million in revenue. Mobile betting dominated as it does in all other markets, processing $12.7 million of the 13.2 million in wagers, leaving the retail shops with a paltry handle of just $472,000.

April 2025’s handle was 9.2% higher than the previous April of $192.9 million. Betting revenue was also on the rise, growing a whopping 26.6% from $10.4 million in April 2024 to $13.2 million in April 2025.

It wasn’t surprising that April’s handle fell from the previous month when March Madness reigned supreme as one of the calendar’s biggest betting tournaments of the year. Although April’s $208.8 million handle was a long way away from March’s $248.4 million, a much higher hold (win rate) in April produced a staggering 64% higher revenue. In March, only $8 million in revenue was reported compared to the $13.2 million in April.

The state came away with $1.3 million due to the 10% tax rate on profits. Although six online operators currently operate in conjunction with one of the state’s four casinos, the framework calls for up to a dozen licensees.

DraftKings Rules in Kansas

Boston-based DraftKings, partnered with Boot Hill Casino & Resort, won April’s sports betting race this year with $92.4 million in accepted wagers, which produced a state’s best $7.1 million in revenue, more than double what their nearest challenger was able to generate.

FanDuel, partnering with Kansas Star Casino, was the nearest challenger, generating $68.7 million in total bets, which delivered a profit of $3.3 million.

BetMGM, partnered with Kansas Crossing Casino, came third on the podium with a $13.9 million handle, producing $1.1 million in revenue for the month.

Sports Betting Extensions Frozen

In a concerning turn of events for online sportsbooks in the Sunflower State, the Kansas Legislature passed a state budget that included a provision that prohibits the Kansas Lottery, the state agency that governs gambling, from spending state money to negotiate any renewals, extensions, or new contracts with sports betting operators until July 2026.

Jeremy Kudon, a sports betting lobbyist, posted the news on X.

“Just want to clarify: None of the leading OSB operators in Kansas will go dark as a result of today’s vote,” Kudon wrote in a post.

“But I wouldn’t let the Kansas legislature off so easy. They had no idea when these contracts expired and were willing to take your favorite OSB apps away from Kansans. We’re not going to let that happen,” he added.

Kansas’s sportsbooks’ contracts all expire in August 2027, so there will be time to figure it all out. It is unlikely that Kansas would reverse its decision and take the gaming industry offline, but perhaps it is a tactic to increase its tax rate, as many other states have already done.