Sports Betting At White Cloud Casino Imminent After Kansas Compact Amendment

• The Kansas House and Senate amended the gambling compact with the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, paving the way for sports wagering on reservation land.
• Committee endorsement leads to White Cloud Casino’s potential for sports betting as resolutions were sent to Governor Laura Kelly.

TOPEKA, Kan. – The Kansas House and Senate have voted in favor of amending the state’s gambling compact with the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, ushering in the possibility of sports wagering in NE Kansas at the casino within the tribal reservation.

Following the endorsement Monday of the sports-betting agreement by the joint legislative Committee on Inter-Tribal Relations, the path has been cleared for the casino at White Cloud along the Missouri River to venture into sports betting. The House endorsed the measure with a notable 101-20 majority, followed by the Senate’s resounding approval on Tuesday.

However, six votes against the measure were registered, all from a handful of Republican Senators:

• Senator Alicia Straub
• Senator Mark Steffen
• Senator Dennis Pyle
• Senator Virgil Peck
• Senator Kristen O’Shea
• Senator Carolyn McGinn

The resolutions have now been transmitted to Governor Laura Kelly for her final consideration.

When Will White Cloud Casino Have Sports Betting?

Under the revised compact, in-person sports wagering will be authorized on the reservation land held by the Iowa Tribe. Furthermore, the compact includes provisions for a trigger mechanism that could open the door to access online sportsbooks from various locations across the state, pending regulatory approvals.

This decision underscores the evolving landscape of gaming regulation and tribal-state partnerships, positioning Kansas as a key player in the growing sports betting industry.

This development marks a significant step in tribal gaming within the state, following the successful implementation of legal sports betting by the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation in July 2023. The Senate had previously approved the tribe’s revised compact with a vote of 27-8, while the House supported it with a vote of 93-27.

Attorney Russ Brien, representing the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, emphasized the similarities between the current compact and the one approved for the Prairie Band.

“This is substantively, other than changing the names and dates, identical to the compact this committee approved last year for Prairie Band.”

The expansion of sports betting in Kansas is a result of the 2018 federal law known as PASPA being overturned by the Supreme Court.

News tags: Alicia Straub | Carolyn McGinn | Dennis Pyle | Iowa | Kansas | Kristen O'Shea | Laura Kelly | Mark Steffen | Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation | Virgil Peck | White Cloud Casino