Another record month is officially in the books for Kansas sports betting.
The Sunflower State is no stranger to these feats. Since their legal gambling launch on September 8, 2022, they have routinely broken their previous month-over-month sports betting handle highs. That’s often part and parcel of sports gambling launches in the United States for the first few years. As people throughout the state become more familiar with the process and licensed gambling operators, markets tend to enjoy steady yet record-breaking highs on a near-monthly basis.
This upward momentum will typically level off over time. But it lasts longer for places that allow bettors to use online sportsbooks in the United States. The Sunflower State falls under this umbrella. There are currently six Kansas online sportsbooks up and running in addition to a handful of retail locations. That accessibility could ensure an indefinite term of growth for the Kansas sports betting market. The number of record-breaking months may slow down, but so long as sports betting in the USA is considered an ascendant industry, the state should ride that wave.
So, which month was the latest record-breaker for sports betting in Kansas? And what factors drove yet another all-time Kansas sports betting handle? We parsed the most recent reports to figure it out.
October 2023 was a Banner Month for Kansas Sports Betting
The sports betting handle in Kansas didn’t just set a new record for total money wagered in October 2023. It obliterated last year’s spending.
According to the Kansas State Lottery, which oversees the legal gambling operations, all of the state’s operators combined to take in a record $249.7 million in total wagers. The previous all-time handle was set in September 2023 after the state took in $219.7 million in total bets. That represents a 13.5 percent increase, which is absolutely monstrous when measured against an all-time record.
What’s more, during the same period last year in October 2022, sports betting in Kansas generated $189.7 million worth of total wagers. The October 2023 handle is at 31.5 percent jump over that figure, making this one of the largest year-over-year spikes since legal gambling launched inside The SunFlower State.
What is Driving the Continued Increases in Kansas Sports Betting Handle?
Two factors stand out when looking at why Kansas sports betting in October generated so much business. First and most obviously, this period overlaps with the busiest time in the United States sports betting calendar. October is basically the only month of the year in which the NFL, college football, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS are all playing games.
For The Sunflower State, specifically, October is an incredibly busy time to bet on NCAA basketball futures. These wagers are no doubt a boom for the region’s sports gambling business. Wichita State, the University of Kansas and Kansas State all have powerhouse Division I programs that routinely qualify for the March Madness tournament. The level of fandom for these schools throughout The Sunflower State is similar to the commitment shown toward professional sports franchises.
Finally, and far from least important, Kansas continues to benefit from the absence of sports betting in Missouri. Not only is The Show-Me State among their most direct neighbors, but the two share a religious interest in the NFL’s reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Geotracking data collected on numerous occasions has shown that many Missourians often travel across state lines, into Kansas, to bet on the NFL. That trend is another boom for The Sunflower State’s sports betting handle. And it’s one that spans from the NFL preseason in August through the NFL playoffs and potentially Super Bowl in January and February.
Will Sports Gambling in Kansas Ever Begin to Level Off?
Sports betting profits in Kansas have already fluctuated month-over-month. And they will continue to do so year-over-year. The Sunflower State generated somewhere between $6 million and $7 million in sports betting tax revenue for 2022. That number can rise or decline depending on how many winning wagers sportsbooks in Kansas must pay out.
Years in which the Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl or simply make deep playoff runs will probably yield lower returns than others. Fans tend to bet in favor of their teams. Especially during playoff and championship rounds. Kansas will always field plenty of bets on the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl and make the playoffs from both in-state residents and Missourians. When those investments hit, sportsbooks will pay out a ton in winnings. That, in turn, will repress total revenue.
Still, navigating excellent stretches from the state’s most popular sports franchise (which plays in Missouri, by the way) may not compare to the future of sports betting in The Show-Me State. If Missouri legalizes sports betting in 2024, it will likely roll out by 2025. And when it does, Kansas sports betting will likely forfeit a ton of revenue from out-of-state residents.
In the meantime, though, there’s little reason to expect The Sunflower State’s sports betting growth to slow down. They have embraced the most important element of the industry today with the legalization of online sports betting. That accessibility should guarantee them an extended, years-long period of rising handles.
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:
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