Live updates: Sports betting now legal in Kansas; Kelly places first bet on local team

Legalized sports betting starts today in Kansas.

Beginning at noon, six mobile sports betting operators are approved to launch, and in-person sportsbooks will be available at two locations, including the Hollywood Casino in Kansas City, Kansas.

The approved operators are Barstool Sports, FanDuel, DraftKings, Bet MGM, Caesars and PointsBet.

The “soft launch,” of a sports betting outlet at Hollywood Casino will begin at noon, with the official launch date set for Sept. 8, the day of this season’s first NFL game.

In Kansas, you don’t have to be in a casino to download any of the betting apps, but to make a wager you have to do so within the state’s borders.

Betting without road trips to Iowa

Update 3 p.m. Don Wehrkamp, 65, placed a bet about 30 minutes after betting opened on two games set to kick off a few hours later.

Wehrkamp, whose been placing sports bets for years, is hoping for a Central Michigan win over Oklahoma State and a Purdue win over Penn State.

He sat at McGuire’s Tavern in Overland Park Thursday afternoon, excited to have the opportunity to bet from the comfort of his Lenexa home without making a road trip to Iowa, like he’s done in the past.

It surprised him that betting on his side of the state line is even a possibility.

“I thought Missouri would be first, and the reason for it is Kansas is pretty conservative,” he said. “For that to come out was just a real positive note, plus the money the state can make on the bets and the winnings is just going to help everybody out throughout the state.”

Wehrkamp considers himself a middle of the road sports better. He doesn’t bet huge dollars, but he’s not shy either.

Will the frequency with which he bets increase now? “Yes,” Wehrkamp said with a laugh.

Though he added that trying to make back money lost never seems to work as planned.

Co-workers place bets at closest bar across state lines

Update 2:20 p.m. Dalton Wiley and co-worker Sheldon Higgins decided to drive across the state line and place their first bets at the closest bar they could find — Johnnie’s Sports Bar, located at 55 S. 7th Street on the southern edge of the historic Strawberry Hill section of Kansas City, Kansas.

“This is the closest thing to the (Missouri) river and we were like alright, let’s just come over here and see what happened,” said Wiley, 29, who lives in Kansas City, Kansas.

Wiley took advantage of a special offer on the FanDuel betting app and placed a $5 bet on whether Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and center fielder Michael A. Taylor both got hits during the team’s afternoon game against the Chicago White Sox.

Higgins, 29, of Bonner Springs took a different game plan with one his first bets. He wagered $25 on whether the first pitch of the third inning would be over 89.5 mph.

Higgins lost.

“It’s fun and makes the games a little more exciting,” he said.

Meanwhile Niki Haberstroh, the owner of Bogey’s Pub in Leawood, which is feet from the state line, said she and her customers are “pretty excited” about legalized sports betting in Kansas.

She thinks she will see more customers over time as a result.

“I really think it’s going to help keep people here,” she said. “They can sit here at their local bar, right next to their local neighborhood … and gamble.”

BetMGM app frustrates gamblers on first day

Update 1:55 p.m. Some gamblers were a bit frustrated after BetMGM had issues with its app on launch day.

The betting service had promoted a deal that new bettors could get up to $200 in free bets to use the app. The issue, the money did not show up in their accounts at noon when wagering began.

Confusion with the timing that betting started in the state led to the problem, a BetMGM spokesperson said.

At 1:30 p.m., BetMGM told The Star in an email that all pre-registered customers should see the $200 in their accounts.

Not betting on the Chiefs

Update 1:40 p.m. Josh Klofstad, 42, of Overland Park, said while he’s not a huge gambler, he downloaded three of the sports betting apps, just in case.

Though he hadn’t placed a bet while sitting at The Other Place in Overland Park in the first few minutes of betting opening statewide, he was glad to see the option was there.

“It’s been a long time coming and they’ve needed to do it for awhile,” Klofstad said.

He said he knows people who have been using off-shore sites to place sports bets. Now that sports betting is legal in Kansas, he said, the betting process has been streamlined and will hopefully generate some revenues for the state.

He’s thinking about placing a bet on football later, but if he does, he won’t be betting on the Chiefs.

“I don’t like to bet on my own teams, my favorite teams, just because it detracts from the fun of watching the game,” Klofstad said.

Plus, he added, he’s too superstitious to bet against the Chiefs, adding that he’s actually a bigger fan of baseball, but that it doesn’t pay off like football does.

Sports bar readies for college football

Update 1:24 p.m. Dan Isenberg methodically made his way throughout the spacious bar at the Tanner’s Bar & Grill at 39th Street and Rainbow Road in Kansas City, Kansas, where he programmed more than half of the 39 large screen televisions set for tonight’s University of Missouri football season opener.

As the bar’s manager, Isenberg expects a large crowd for the game and the opportunity for patrons to place bets there makes the location more appealing.

“I’m excited. I got signed up for the apps myself. I like sports betting,” he said. “I think it’s great for the state of Kansas and for the Kansas City metro area.”

He expects the excitement to last into the next few weeks, drawing in people who will want to check it out.

“I think it hurts Missouri,” he said. “But I think there’s gonna be a lot of people that will just slide over the state line to Kansas to check it out.”

Kelly places first bet in Kansas

Updated 12: 42. p.m. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday placed the first legal sports bet under the state’s new gambling law at Hollywood Casino in Kansas City, Kansas.

She placed a $15 wager on the Kansas City Chiefs to win Super Bowl 57.

The dollar figure was chosen in honor of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ number, 15.

The odds on the bet were 10-1.

“Now Kansans will have another way to show their support for their favorite team players,” Kelly said.

Best bets and teams to trust

Updated 11:37 a.m. The Star’s Kellis Robinett writes about the first week of college football to fall under legalized sports betting in Kansas.

From Illinois at Indiana to UTEP at Oklahoma, here are a few of the best bets involving teams with games in Week 0.

Bettor plans to test the water

Update 11:30 a.m. Mario Lee of Lawrence attempted to bet on Super Bowl when the Kansas City Chiefs won it in 2020. Unfortunately, he was in Texas, which doesn’t allow sports betting.

“That was actually the first time where I even thought of trying to do sports betting,” he said. “At the time, I was like, ‘Man, it would be awesome if the state of Kansas would allow it.’ And here we are a couple years later.”

The 32-year-old downloaded a gambling app a couple days ago and will test the waters over lunch on Thursday and see what games are available.

There is one bet he’s making for sure: $500 on Nate Diaz in his UFC 279 matchup against Khamzat Chimaev on Sept. 10. Diaz is an underdog.

“The payout is amazing and I wouldn’t be surprised,” said Lee. “I’m a huge Nate Diaz fan, always have been, so I feel pretty confident that he could possibly pull off that huge of an upset.”

Kansas City bettor eyes big game for Chiefs

Updated 10:49 a.m. Avid sports fan Nick Slagle said he believes this is a historic day in Kansas.

His first bet?

“I’m putting that first official wager in Kansas on a Kansas City Super Bowl,” he said. “I’m liking the team. Mahomes looks hungry.”

To be clear, that’s the Kansas City Chiefs, led by Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, winning this season’s Super Bowl.

Slagle, a 22-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, resident, said he plans to be on his cellphone at noon checking out the deals offered by betting apps.

“Sports betting will be a big thing for Kansas,” he said. “It’s going to be a big thing for Kansas City, Kansas and the surrounding area.”

Who will place the first bet?

Updated 10:47 a.m. Employees at Hollywood Casino and its in-person waging site, Barstool Sportsbook, said they hope the first wager will be placed by Gov. Laura Kelly.

Kelly is scheduled to speak at Hollywood Casino Thursday ahead of the opening of the in-person sports book at noon.

Kelly signed legislation authorizing sports betting in May, then in August publicly announced gambling would begin Sept. 1, in time for the start of the NFL’s regular season.

Sports betting kiosks prepared for action

Updated 10:35 a.m. Behind the Barstool Sportsbook betting window is a circular room with 30 sports betting kiosks. Dozens of TVs fill the walls, all tuned to sports channels. A bar sits at the back with couches and high top tables sprinkled throughout.

Each kiosk has a $5 minimum bet that accepts both card and cash. Once a person pays, the screen will switch to the sportsbook that will allow one to place bets on games. All kiosks will begin operating at noon.

Barstool Sportsbook prepares to open

Update 10:15 a.m. At Hollywood Casino at The Legends in Kansas City, Kansas, staff were finishing setting up the temporary Barstool Sportsbook, which opens at 12:01 p.m.

Gov. Laura Kelly is expected to speak there shortly before noon.

Behind the betting window, a man stood on a ladder Thursday morning turning on all three TVs and switching them to the sportsbook channel. Another group tested out the microphone audio for the stage. Several other employees at the counter made final changes to their booths before prospective betters start lining up behind the roped off area.

Behind the sportsbook counter is a circular room covered in TVs, all displaying games and sports analysts. Along the walls are 30 sports betting kiosks. In the middle is a small group of regular betting machines, with couches and high tops sprinkled throughout the room.

How Missouri residents can place bets in Kansas

Updated 9: 15 a.m. The new legal landscape means that sports betting will be added to the list of many reasons why Kansas Citians cross back and forth over the state line each day. Simply stepping foot into Kansas will allow Missourians to participate in the newly legal sports gambling world.

The easiest way for Missourians to bet in Kansas is by using an online betting app. Like the casinos, Kansas Lottery spokesperson Cory Thone told The Star that all apps will open at noon.

The apps use geolocation to make sure you’re in a state where sports betting is legal before they let you place a bet. That means you can’t bet on your phone while watching a game at your favorite sports bar in Missouri, but you can place a bet right from your phone as soon as you walk or drive over the state line.

“So when you bring up the app, let’s say FanDuel, it won’t let you place a bet until it is able to locate where you are,” said Christophr Boan, a lead writer with Gambling.com. “If it can’t, or if you are somewhere where betting isn’t legal, it will block you from betting.”

Social media takes on Kansas sports betting

Updated 7:51 a.m. Politicians and fans alike turned to social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook Thursday to celebrate the first day of legalized sports betting in Kansas.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas used both platforms to talk about missed opportunities for Missouri.

“Congrats on sports betting, Kansas,” he said in a message on Twitter shortly after 4 a.m. “Enjoy the increased revenue that your neighbors to the east will not see. Be kind to the many Missourians coming over to play responsibly.”

Earlier this year, Missouri legislators failed to come to an agreement to allow its residents to place bets on major college and professional sports.

Missouri Tigers football, game prediction and betting line

Updated 7:41 a.m. The college football season begins this week, including a non-conference matchup between the University of Missouri and Louisiana Tech at 7 p.m. today in Columbia.

Missouri opens the 2022 college football season with an opponent that wasn’t on the schedule until after last season.

The Tigers were set to play at Middle Tennessee in the first game. But the Tigers, who visit Kansas State later this month, didn’t want three roadies among their first four games. So they bought out the contract.

Louisiana Tech from Conference USA provides the opposition. The Bulldogs are coming off a 3-9 season and replaced coaches with Sonny Cumbie taking over for Skip Holtz.

Here’s a prediction for the game, the betting line and how to watch on TV.

Kelly moves to capitalize ahead of election

Updated 7:33 a.m. As the launch of legal sports betting arrives in Kansas, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has moved to capitalize on the bipartisan support for wagering amid a tough reelection challenge from Republican nominee Derek Schmidt, the state attorney general.

Kelly’s allies are positioning sports betting as an issue of fun and freedom that could bring millions in revenue a year into the state.

“Sports are fun. People need to have a good time, they just want to have a good time,” said state Rep. Stephanie Clayton, an Overland Park Democrat. “Everything has been awful and so, you know, they’re going to be supportive of the person that brought them that fun.”

But even as sports betting gives Kelly what appears to be a popular issue to promote, both Democrats and Republicans expressed skepticism that it would play a significant role in the governor’s race.

Gambling apps offer special deals

Updated 7:27 a.m. Mobile betting apps are preparing for the launch by offering special deals ahead of Sept. 1.

On Draft Kings, for example, those registering now to place bets in Kansas will get $100 in free bets when you sign up. You’ll also be entered into a pool to win a free bet worth $100,000 when you sign up. The free bet is valid for seven days after you receive the money in the app.

Fanduel, Bet MGM and PointsBet are also offering promotional deals.

Who can bet on sports in Kansas?

Updated 7:17 a.m. Anyone age 21 and over within the geographic boundaries of Kansas can gamble on sports, even if you don’t reside in the state.

That means that Kansas Citians can cross the state line from Missouri and go to a casino or place bets on their phones or other devices while in Kansas.

Any type of competition that the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission (KRGC) has approved is eligible for betting. This includes race car events, horse races and other competitions. Yes, that includes the Chiefs and the NFL.

The exceptions are betting on greyhound races and “any sporting or athletic event where a majority of the participants are under age 18,” according to the law.

These casinos outside the Kansas City metro area will also offer sports betting:

• Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane will have in-person sportsbook and mobile betting through FanDuel.
• In-person betting at Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Dodge City will be announced a later date. Mobile betting will be available through DraftKings.
• Kansas Casino in Pittsburg also will announce in-person wagering at a later date but will offer mobile betting through BetMGM, Caesars and PointsBet.

The Star’s Aaron Torres, Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Blair Kerkhoff, Glenn E. Rice, Anna Spoerre, Luke Nozicka, Joseph Hernandez, Robert A. Cronkleton and Jonathan Shorman contributed to this report.

This story was originally published September 1, 2022 at 5:00 AM.