Kansas Sports Betting Bills, Strike Out Two Years In A Row

Kansas has failed to pass a measure to regulate sports betting in the 2021 session.
Although the session adjourns officially on May 15, it is currently in recess until May 3.
The state will need to wait until the 2022 session to introduce new sports wagering legislation for passage.

TOPEKA, Kan. – For its second consecutive year, the Kansas Legislature has failed to pass a sports betting bill to regulate the industry in the state.

There were two bills that would have made wagering on sports possible in Kansas, but one failed to pass in the House in late March. The second piece of legislation will not be getting its time on the floor in 2021 according to sources close to the bill, leading it to die in the House when the session adjourns on May 15.

Kansas Sports Betting Bills In 2021

Kansas had Senate Bill 84, which passed in the Senate on March 3 with 26 YEAS and 12 NAYS. But on March 30, the House COW rejected the measure by a vote of 48 YEAS and 71 NAYS, ending its hope for passage.

Mobile sportsbooks and retail sports betting would have been opened through this proposal. A retail tax on all GGR of 7.5% was requested and a tax of 10% was set for mobile operations.

House Bill 2444 was introduced on March 18. Apparently, the impression it made was less than stellar as it did not move past the introduction phase.

The Kansas Lottery was named as the regulator of the market under this proposal and sports betting terminals were to be found statewide at lottery retailers, being the “land-based” venues with mobile sportsbooks also seeing regulation.

Kansas’ Groundhog Day Experience

The Kansas Legislature is in recess until May 3. Given that no hearing date was ever scheduled for KS HB 2444, the bill will likely be put on hold until the 2022 session.

When the legislature reconvenes, they will be tying up loose ends for the 2021 session. No more hearings will be put on the board for 2021. The Kansas Legislature officially adjourns on May 15 for the year.

This probably feels like Groundhog’s Day for lawmakers and residents in Kansas when it comes to sports betting regulation. The state had the exact situation happen last year where one bill passed and failed and the other didn’t get the time to be heard because government officials were lukewarm on the proposal from the start.

Governor Laura Kelly has been a force when it comes to whether there will be a regulated Kansas sports wagering market in her state.

The Governor is up for re-election in the Fall of 2022, meaning if Kansas doesn’t come up with a proposal in the 2022 session that pleases both the legislature and the Governor, the state will not likely get sports betting until sometime after that.

However, both of those requirements are necessary to get sportsbooks regulated in Kansas.

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Christina Monroe

Christina has been writing for as long as she can remember and does dedicated research on the newly regulated sports betting market. She comes from a family of sports lovers that engage in friendly bets from time to time. During the winter months, you can find Christina baking cookies and beating the entire staff at Mario Kart…the N64 version of course.