Two Kansas Sports Betting Bills, But Governor Only Prefers One

• There are two bills in Kansas that are currently in Committee to legalize sports betting in the state.
• KS SB 283 would make sports betting legal and it only has one more hurdle to jump in the way of increasing the taxes in the bill for it to be on par with Governor Laura Kelly’s wishes.
• The other, KS HB 2671 was written up by the Governor’s office and was introduced last month which means it needs to go through more Committees before landing on Kelly’s desk.

TOPEKA, Kan. – Bill KS SB 283 and Bill KS HB 2671 would both make sports betting legal in Kansas. KS SB 283 is close to the finish line in making its way to Governor Laura Kelly’s desk.

The bill is currently waiting on a hearing in the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs where it should make the amendments needed for the Governor’s stamp of approval.

KS SB 283 holds a tax rate of 7.5% for all land-based sportsbooks and a 10% tax rate for all revenue from mobile and internet platforms. These percentages are too low for Kelly’s liking and would need to be changed.

Not The Only Bill In Committee

A second sports betting bill may have better odds of legalization if KS SB 283 doesn’t make the necessary changes. Bill KS HB 2671 was actually written up with the help of Governor Kelly’s office. This means that it already has the approval by the Governor should it pass through the Legislature.

KS HB 2671 has an increased tax rate on all revenue generated by the sports betting market. Retail sportsbooks will see a 14% tax rate on all sports betting revenue while online and mobile applications will be taxed at 20%. These numbers are in line with what Kelly would want for a new revenue stream for the economy in Kansas.

While bill KS SB 283 has lawmakers in favor of it, KS HB 2671 will be facing an uphill battle. The tax rates may not raise too much of an issue when it comes time to vote on whether or not to move the bill forward. The issue would lie in just how many locations would be available for sports betting.

Over 1,200 storefronts would have access to offer sports betting to their customers. That could be problematic for the legislature to get behind because having gambling on sporting events so readily available all over Kansas could lead to addiction and problem gambling with residents.

The Future Of Sports Betting In Kansas

On Wednesday and Thursday, the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs will listen to Bill KS HB 2671. Bill KS SB 283 has yet to be scheduled to be heard and receive the amendments it would need for the Governor’s signature.

Each bill has the approval on one side of the spectrum, one is backed by the Governor herself while another is backed by the Legislature. Either of them could legalize sports betting in Kansas and both are halfway there. The legislative session in the Sunflower State ends April 3.

News tags: House Committee on Federal and State Affairs | Kansas | KS HB 2671 | KS SB 283 | Laura Kelly