Kansas Casinos Up 2.7% in September, State Try to Lure Missouri Sports Teams with $26M Gambling Fund

Kansas’ four casinos have generated $33.1 million in revenue for September, a slight rise compared to the previous year’s total of $32.3 million, and representing a year-on-year increase of 2.7%. 

The stable casino revenue comes as Kansas gears up its plans to attract Missouri sports teams, like the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals, across state lines. Lawmakers are looking to amend the current sports betting tax infrastructure, which sees the Sunflower State only retain 6.5% of the revenue, with the rest going to its casinos and sportsbook operators.

Kansas legalized sports betting in 2022 and has one of the lowest sports betting tax rates in the US, with only Arizona and Michigan having lower than the Sunflower State. Since 2022, Kansas has managed to accumulate $26.2 million in its Attracting Professional Sports to Kansas Fund, with lawmakers optimistic that this will be enough to woo the Chiefs and Royals to Kansas. 

Hollywood Casino Paves the Way in September

The figures, published by the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission, reveal that of the combined revenue for the Sunflower State’s four casinos, electronic gaming machines totaled $29.6 million, up 5% year-on-year from $28.2 million. In contrast, table games revenue was down last month, dropping from $4.1 million to $3.5 million, a year-on-year decline of 13.5%. 

Hollywood Casino recorded the highest revenue last month, as well as reporting thing highest year-on-year revenue change of all four casinos. Revenue rose for the casino rose from $12.6 million to $13.8 million, a 9.6% year-on-year increase. Electronic gaming machines generated $12.5 million, up 11.5%, while table games produced $1.3 million, down 5.8% year-on-year. 

Kansas Star Casino was the only other casino to report a year-on-year revenue increase for September, with revenues rising from $12.6 million to $12.9 million, a year-on-year increase of 2.8%. Of this, electronic gaming machines recorded $11.4 million, up 7.7%, as table games reported $1.6 million, down 22.7% year-on-year. 

Boot Hill Casino and Kansas Crossing Casino weren’t as lucky last month compared to the other two. Boot Hill recorded the highest revenue loss of September, with revenue dropping from $3.9 million to $3.3 million, a year-on-year decline of 14.3%. Electronic gaming machines at the casino declined 16.1% year-on-year, while table games slightly increased by 0.8%. 

Kansas Crossing Casino faired a bit better compared to Boot Hill Casino, with revenue dropping only 4.4% from $3.2 million to $3.1 million year-on-year. Electronic gaming machines totaled $2.8 million, down 4.3%, as table games also declined 5.9% to $262,225. 

Kansas Tries Lure Chiefs, Royals over State Lines

As the state’s casinos continue to record stable results, Kansas’ sports gambling fund is ever growing with the Attracting Professional Sports to Kansas Fund reaching $26.2 million. With this money, Kansas lawmakers are hoping to attract NFL and MLB teams in Missouri over to the Sunflower State. 

According to state law, the fund would pay any municipal bonds needed, “which shall include any such financing structured as pay-as-you-go, issued to fund the construction, rehabilitation, revitalization or expansion of a professional sports team’s primary facility or any other ancillary development to such primary facility.”

At the moment, gambling revenue is allocated between the state’s White Collar Crime Fund, the Gambling Addiction Grant Fund, and the Attracting Professional Sports to Kansas Fund. In 2024 alone, $8.7 million was deposited into the sports fund. 

The state has also noted that if recruitment efforts fail, then state lawmakers will reappropriate the funds to where they see fit. However, as Missouri is on the cusp of legalizing its own sports betting market by December 1, Kansas’ initial efforts to attract big-time teams like the Chiefs and Royals may ultimately fail. 

Despite this, a spokesperson for the Kansas Department of Commerce reiterated that the “agency continues to conduct a careful analysis of costs and benefits as part of discussions to keep the Chiefs and Royals in the region while maximizing growth opportunities for Kansas.”