Kansas lawmakers to consider legalisation of sports betting

The coming week could provide a valuable opportunity for Kansas lawmakers to hone their knowledge on sports betting as interest grows in the possibilities of legalising the vertical.

Governor-elect Laura Kelly has already indicated that she is generally supportive of the concept, whilst Sen. Bud Estes, who chairs a committee handling such expansion, has set up an informational committee hearing to brief lawmakers on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Estes said that as yet no legalisation bill has been introduced for consideration in the next legislative season starting January 14, saying:

“I don’t want to skate on thin ice on something we don’t know anything about.”

Estes told local reporters that the legalisation of sports betting in the state was probably on the cards and there was a need for lawmakers to be briefed on key issues such as tax and licence fee rates; should licensing be confined to existing state licensees; regulatory monitoring and enforcement; and should mobile betting apps be permitted.

Estes warned: “If we start passing legislation for interest groups, we could make a real mess. We need to be educated. I’m not going to let my committee go out and pass a lot of legislation right out of the bag. We need to be smarter before we do it.”

Our readers will recall that a legalisation proposal was introduced to the Kansas House last year by Rep. Jan Kessenger. The proposal survived a committee hearing but did not reach the floor for a vote, and Kessenger has already indicated that he plans to re-introduce his bill in the new legislative season.

Aside from the projected $75 million in tax revenues that the bill could generate, Kessenger says there is potential to create jobs and taxes on food and drinks if sports betting is allowed in social settings such as bars and restaurants.

Related and similar