By TheNuts - Aug 27, 2022
KS Sportsbetting Begins 9/1
Wow, that was fast!
Back on May 12th, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed Senate Bill 84 into law, legalizing sports wagering within its borders. This Thursday, the First of September, a little more than three months later, legal sports betting will become a reality in the Sunflower State, both in person at Boot Hill Casino, Kansas Star Casino, Kansas Speedway and Kansas Crossing Casino, as well as on your smartphone.
As reported by the Kansas City Star, state Rep. Stephanie Clayton, when asked for her thoughts, replied: “This is a huge draw for our local economy. I usually get pretty darn excited about anything that benefits us economically. My constituents need fun. They need something that’s fun. They deserve it. God knows they’ve earned it.”
Meanwhile, earlier this month, after Massachusetts elected officials agreed on a bill to legalize sports betting in the state, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed it into law. When fully enacted later this year, MA citizens will be able to wager on both professional and college sports. MA colleges and universities are excluded, unless they are playing in a post-season tournament. Betting on individual players is also banned. Wagerers will be taxed 15% for in-person wagers at casinos and other select locations and 20% for mobile wagering. And while 18-year-olds can buy a lottery ticket in the state, you’ll need to be 21 to gamble on sports.
Already this year, several other states, including Maine and New York, have made sports betting legal, and are reaping the tax rewards for their efforts. For example, since January, New York has already seen a record $9 billion in wagers and $500 million in tax revenue, unseating New Jersey as the #1 sports betting market in the USA!
Fifteen states and the District of Columbia offer both in person and online sports betting. They are Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, D.C., Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Twelve states only offer in person sports betting and they are Arkansas, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin.
Three other states only offer mobile wagering. Those states are New Hampshire, Tennessee and Virginia.
Another three states, Florida, Ohio and Nebraska, have legalized sports betting but haven’t implemented it yet.
Meanwhile, both California and Georgia may let their respective voters decide during this November’s elections.
So what about the remaining states? Legal scholars think most of the holdouts will eventually legalize it, mainly to keep from losing revenue to nearby states. Virginia is a classic example. Despite protests from the citizenry, The Old Dominion kept rejecting bills to legalize a state lottery and saw all of that revenue go to lotteries offered in DC and bordering states Maryland and West Virginia instead. Virginia finally put it to the voters in a 1987 referendum, where it was ratified by over 56% of the electorate.
Hawaii and Utah now remain the only states that outlaw all forms of gambling. In fact, Utah’s opposition to gambling is so severe that it’s written into their State Constitution!
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