Kansas Sports Betting Revenue Continues to Climb

The most recent monthly Kansas sports betting reports are officially out, and they offer both a promising and slightly concerning outlook into the state’s revenue stream.

The Kansas Lottery, which oversees sports betting operations, just released their data for May 2025. (As a reminder, these reports are usually on a month or two delay from the present day.) According to their figures, revenue for sports betting in Kansas more than doubled compared to the same month in 2024. For industry stakeholders, this is clearly a great sign. However, the report also says that overall volume for Kansas sports betting dipped for the month of May. That could be cause for concern.

Single-month downticks usually aren’t worth worrying over. Every industry has its ebbs and flows. It is no different for sports betting in the United States.

Generally speaking, though, states are more comfortable with volume (and revenue) declines if there is a clear reason for them. Is that the case for the most recent drop in Kansas’ sports betting handle?

Kansas Sports Betting Revenue is Up Despite the Declining Handle

Before digging into the Kansas sports betting handle, let us first take a look at its rise in revenue. Jonny Whitfield of iNTERGAME has the full details from May 2025 below:

“Sports betting revenue across retail and mobile in Kansas, US, almost doubled year-on-year in May. The Kansas Lottery reported total revenue of US $18.95 million in May, up 94 percent from May 2024’s $9.8 million. Month-on-month, revenue rose by 43.8 percent from $13.2 million. May’s revenue came from a total handle of $199.7 million, which translated to a rise of 16 percent from May 2024’s $172.2 million Month-on-month, though, the handle across retail and mobile fell 4.4 percent from April’s $208.8 million.”

It is always a little bizarre to see the total volume of Kansas sports betting dip while the revenue rises by extreme margins. But this simply means that bettors in The Sunflower State were not as successful with their wagers.

This tracks with the time of year at which we are looking. During the month of May, betting on the NBA playoffs as well as betting on the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs reaches a fever pitch. This year, the NBA specifically saw a bunch of parity across its postseason. Whenever this happens, that makes it harder for bettors to predict winners.

As one snapshot example: Nobody had the Indiana Pacers winning the Eastern Conference Finals and making the NBA Finals. In fact, they were underdogs in both playoff series they won for the month of May, while facing the Cleveland Cavaliers and then the New York Knicks. Unexpected performances such as this can indeed throw entire monthly revenue reports for a whirl.

Should Kansas be Concerned with the Decline in Sports Betting Volume?

Of course, just because The Sunflower State generated more revenue doesn’t mean the dip in overall transaction volume means nothing. It can absolutely mean something.

Then again, in this case, it probably does not.

According to the Kansas Lottery, May’s $199.7 million handle is a 4.4 percent drop from April’s $208.8 million in total volume. That is far from the end of the world. On the contrary, it is well within typical ebb-and-flow limits, particularly on a monthly basis.

Just like the increase in revenue is easily explainable, the same goes for this backslide in volume. And it once again comes back to both the NBA playoffs and NHL playoffs.

Last year, a handful of bigger markets made it deep into the postseason for both leagues. The NHL had a Florida Panthers vs. New York Rangers conference finals. Meanwhile, the NBA had the Dallas Mavericks (Western Conference) and Boston Celtics (Eastern Conference) in separate conference finals matchups.

The same was not as true for either league this year. To be sure, there was plenty of quality hockey and basketball being played by teams with marquee names. But matchups like the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder don’t reel in as much business as when Luka Doncic and his former team (Dallas) are on the verge of making the NBA Finals.

Sports Betting Revenue isn’t the Only Thing Up in Kansas

Another interesting wrinkle for The Sunflower State is its casino business. Similar to the Kansas sports betting scene, the state’s casinos also reported a noticeable increase in revenue. As Charlotte Capewell reports for CDC Gaming:

“The four commercial casinos in Kansas combined to produce $37.7 million in revenue during May, up 4.4 percent from the previous year’s $36.1 million. The figures, published by the Kansas Lottery, revealed that of the four casinos, Kansas Star Casino generated the highest figure in May, reporting $15.1 million, up 7.7 percent from the $14 million last year, and the highest percentage increase of all four casinos.Two other casinos reported revenue growth in May. Kansas Crossing Casino rose from $3.5 million to $3.7 million, a year-over-year increase of 4.6 percent, while Hollywood Casino recorded a year-over-year revenue rise of 3.4 percent, increasing from $14.5 million to $15 million. Boot Hill Casino’s revenue dropped 4 percent from $4.1 million to $3.9 million.”

These increases are a big deal for casinos. The industry is susceptible to more downsides at a time when online sports betting and online casino gaming in the United States are more popular than ever.

Still, both of these reports are worth monitoring moving. It is premature to say Kansas sports betting volume could be on the decline, and it’s much too early to consider the casino market a growth industry. Nevertheless, the business of gambling in Kansas no doubt delivered interesting returns for the month of the May.

Take a look at this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can find one that works for all of your sports betting needs: