Kansas Sports Betting Sees 16K Missouri Bets Blocked on First Day of Legal Ops

Posted on: September 6, 2022, 02:19h. 

Last updated on: September 6, 2022, 03:43h.

Corey Levitan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Restaurants, Las Vegas Myths.

The Show-Me State wants to see the money. On Sept. 1, the first day of legal sports betting in Kansas, GeoComply Solutions reported blocking 16K attempts to use mobile sports betting apps from Missouri.

Missouri State Line sign
The Kansas City metropolitan area extends from Kansas to Missouri. While legal sports betting launched in Kansas last week, Missouri — which includes the much larger portion of Kansas City with the NFL football team — hasn’t legalized it yet. (Image: washingtonpost.com)

According to the location detection software and cybersecurity services provider, 60% of the blocked attempts came from Missouri’s portion of Kansas City, not far from its border with Kansas.

Anyone over age 21 is allowed to bet in Kansas, no matter what state they live in. However, they need to be located in Kansas while placing the bet. GeoComply said that a bettor’s location is verified several times while using sports betting apps, and more often, the closer a bettor is to a state border.

Bordering on Anger

Six of the eight states that border Missouri have made sports betting legal. Nebraska did it in 2021, though it still lacks regulations. Illinois and Tennessee legalized sports betting in 2020, while Iowa and Arkansas did so in 2019. Kentucky and Oklahoma haven’t permitted sports betting.

However, it’s Kansas’ addition to the list of states approving the activity that rubs Missouri’s lack of sports betting in its residents’ faces. That’s primarily because the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs franchise plays at Arrowhead Stadium, which is located in Missouri.

States of Confusion

Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri, have long been conjoined as the larger Kansas City metropolitan area. However, the two states comprising the metro have a history of contention over the city and other issues. They were even on opposing sides in the Civil War.

The State of Missouri incorporated the original Kansas City in 1853 as the City of Kansas (after the Kansas River, named for the Kansa tribe). This was eight years before the State of Kansas even existed.

On the river’s Kansas side, other settlements developed independently, including a group of small towns incorporated as Kansas City, Kansas, in 1872. This was reportedly done to capitalize on the name recognition of the other Kansas City, which was always larger. (Currently, Kansas City, Mo. is three times the size of Kansas City, Kansas)

In the 1870s, Kansas attempted to annex the Missouri side of Kansas City but failed. Now, with sports betting, it seems Kansas is having the last laugh. The new market is expected to create $1M-$5M in annual revenue for the state.

When Will Missouri Legalize Sports Betting?

Missouri state Sen. Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) has pledged to make the legalization of sports wagering a priority in the next legislative round. But disagreements over how that will be done continue to block that goal.

In May, state Sen. Denny Hoskins (R-Caldwell) filibustered House Bills 2502 and 2556, allowing Missouri’s 13 state-licensed commercial casinos to offer brick-and-mortar sportsbooks and online sports betting apps.

Hoskins said he opposes the bills because they fail to legalize video gaming terminals in restaurants, bars, convenience stores, and fraternal organizations. Later, he blamed the state’s casinos, tweeting that a proposal to his liking had been rejected by them.