Kansas Sports Betting Unlikely to Launch For NFL Season Opener

July 27, 2022 World Sports

Kansas legalized sports betting when Governor Laura Kelly signed Senate Bill 84 into law on May 12th, 2022. However, the mooted launch date of early September ahead of the NFL season is now looking highly unlikely.

When signing the bill, Governor Kelly stated that she envisioned the industry being up and ready for business by September 8th, but according to Todd Allen, the director of wagering for the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission, the agency’s members have not yet voted on draft regulations for the industry. He now feels that this will result in sports betting’s launch being pushed back to some time later in the year.

The Commission must have a process in place for background investigations for license application by August 1st. Those background checks will then take place some time during the month. Meanwhile, the Commission must also get started on drafting regulations for industry oversight. These will then be voted on by August 12th at the very earliest.

The Kansas Lottery is then expected to create a sportsbook platform approval process by no later than September 1st while the NFL regular season starts just one week later.