Kansas breaks million-dollar revenue barrier in debut sportsbook month

Kansas sports betting generated a total of $1.3m in revenue during its debut month of September, according to latest data from the Kansas Lottery and Governor’s office.

Releasing its first report on licensed operator figures, Kansas Lottery officials confirmed Penn Entertainment’s Barstool Sports brand, which is partnered with the Hollywood Casino accounted for the lion’s share of the $1.3m, with $762,305.

The Kansas Crossing casino, and its three operator partners; PointsBet, BetMGM and Caesars generated a combined $326,147 during the period September 1-30.

US market leader FanDuel, which partners with the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane, generated the smallest part of the $1.3m in revenue, with just $207,722.

DraftKings, and its partner, the Boot Hill casino failed to generate any revenue during the first month of the regulated market, something with Governor Laura Kelly suggested was down to the high number of promotional credits handed out to prospective Kansas customers during the period.

On the plus side, the lack of revenue generated means that DraftKings will not have to pay any taxes to the state during the month.

Kansas’ revenue generating operators paid $129,617 in taxes during September, with all operators taxed at a rate of 10% of their respective revenue.

Speaking following the announcement of the figures, Governor Kelly said they served as a vindication for the state’s aggressive drive towards regulation of the vertical.

“These revenues reinforce what we already knew: Legal sports betting is a common-sense solution that keeps Kansans’ money in Kansas and supports Kansas businesses,” Kelly said.

“While legal wagering is just in its infancy, these revenues will continue to grow and benefit the state over time,” she added.

Kelly’s comments were echoed by Stephen Durrell, executive director of the Kansas Lottery, who lauded the state’s performance over its debut month.

“Sports betting has successfully kicked off in Kansas, and players could not be more excited to get in on the action,” Durrell said.

“The launch went smoothly thanks to the efforts of our casino partners, the sports wagering platforms, the KRGC, and our staff at the Kansas Lottery.

“We will continue to work to make sports betting in Kansas safe, secure, and fun for all players as we expand and grow,” he added.

Kansas broke records last month when it launched regulated sports betting operations on September 1 in a soft-launch capacity, following this up with a full launch on September 8.

The statewide launch occurred just 115 days after enabling legislation was signed into law by Governor Laura Kelly on August 19.