After much controversy, Kansas is finally on the way to joining more than 30 states with legalized sports betting. The bill approving sports wagering in the state was passed back in May, but the process has faced many issues since.
The good news for Kansas City bettors is that Butler National Corporation has received the green light from the Kansas Lottery to organize betting activities. They’ve been awarded sports betting management contract to conduct sports wagering through the subsidiary operating Boot Hill Casino & Resort in Dodge City. This is the second agreement of this kind, after the deal Boot Hill has made with DraftKings.
The details of the agreement between Butler National Corporation and the Kansas Lottery state that the customers will be able to legally bet on online sports betting platforms. Plus, they’ll also be able to place their wagers in person at the Boot Hill casino. The CEO of Butler National Corporation, Clark Stewart, said the approval from the Kansas Lottery brings the company closer to accomplishing its goal of offering Kansas bettors a platform for all their betting needs. He added that the approval came as a result of hard and diligent work with their online betting platform partners.
Stewart also noted that, at the moment, the focus is on launching DraftKings’ mobile and retail sportsbook at Boot Hill. According to the company’s CEO, everyone at the organization is thrilled to get a chance to bring this kind of excitement to their betting customers. DraftKings has done well as a New York online sportsbook.
Besides DraftKings, Boot Hill also has an agreement in place with Bally’s. Another operator should further boost the customer experience at the Kansas casino. The casino itself has been operating since 2009. After more than $90 million of investments now features more than 500 electronic gaming machines, 14 game tables, and a restaurant seating 150 people.
Although the bill legalizing sports betting in Kansas was signed back in May, the launch process was not without challenges. Among other issues, a lawsuit was filed right after the signing of the bill.
The provisions of the bill indicate that state casinos will be allowed to enter partnerships with up to 50 marketing partners. At the moment, the negotiations with four tribal casinos in Kansas City are still in progress. It’s yet unclear whether they will be able to enter these sorts of agreements.
On their side, the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission has been doing its part ahead of schedule and has already moved the regulations forward to the Attorney General’s office. Now, it’s up to the Kansas Attorney General, Derek Schmidt, to sign the approval. A spokesperson for the AG’s office recently said that there are a number of legal issues currently going through the review process.
Still, the executive director of the Kansas Lottery, Stephen Durrell, remains confident that those issues will be resolved sooner rather than later. The new bill will be beneficial to the state as it is set to receive a 10% tax from the revenue of sports betting-related activities.