Kansas’ September Sports Betting Rollout Unfazed by Attorney General’s Concerns
Michael Hickey/Getty Images. Pictured: University of Kansas mascot Big Jay.
Despite regulatory issues raised with Kansas' record bill-passage to launch implementation of sports betting, legal betting is still expected to start Sept. 1 in the state.
The Kansas Lottery resubmitted revised sports betting rules and regulations on Monday, following concerns made public by Kansas Attorney General's Office last week. Those issues, spelled out in a letter, ranged from advertising restrictions to the Lottery's definitions of "vulnerable persons" and "sports governing body."
It's "an ordinary course of business," according to Cory Thune, a spokesperson for the Kansas Lottery, who said the Lottery is confident any potential issues will be worked out in time for the "September 1 soft launch date."
"We look forward to the Lottery quickly resolving these legal problems and resubmitting the regulations," Kansas Attorney General Public Information Officer John Milburn said in a statement released Friday.
Attorney General Derek Schmidt is running against incumbent Gov. Laura Kelly, who signed Kansas' sports betting bill into law in May, and has touted the state's quick rollout.
Kansas' soft launch of sports betting by Sept. 1 would come only 112 days after Kelly signed it into law. It'd be one of the fastest launches of any state in the four years since the Supreme Court struck down a federal prohibition on the industry.
Football, Baseball to Start First With Mobile Options
A soft launch starts the Sunflower State off with legal betting via its four casinos and online partners: DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, Barstool Sportsbook, PointsBet, BallyBet and FoxBet.
Many of those operators began offering pre-registration sign-up bonuses last week.
They'll only be required to take bets on the NFL, MLB and NCAAF until Sept. 8, when Kansas full launches, though they "may take bets on other sports before then if they're ready to do so," Thone said.
Kansas' law allows the Lottery to license up to five more online operators.
How would you rate this article?