Kansas is the latest state to legalize sports betting this year, after Maine. To mark the occasion, Kansas’ Boot Hill Casino became the first to unveil a sports betting sponsorship. The casino will partner with Bally’s and DraftKings to provide digital wagering, according to Sports Handle
The company plans to open retail sportsbooks “as early as this fall” and was seeking digital partners that would offer a “safe, seamless, and premium sports betting experience.”
“We wanted to go with what we thought and believe are the top, best, world-class sports betting experiences,” Butler National Corp. Vice President and General Counsel Chris Reedy told Sports Handle. Butler owns Boot Hill.
” When you hear their names, you think high energy. We’re a small public company, but we’re aggressive.”
Reedy picked DraftKings in part because of the tie in with a daily fantasy business and Bally’s because of the regional sports networks.
Digital platforms must be tied to one of the four existing casinos, MLS Sporting KC, or Kansas Speedway. Barstool Sportsbook already has market access via Penn National Gaming’s Hollywood Casino property at Kansas Raceway, and FanDuel has market access through an existing deal with Boyd Gaming. It is likely that most major sports betting players will eventually offer platforms in the state.
Kansas’ law says rules and regulations must be complete by Jan. 1, 2023, and regulators say they will be moving swiftly to get wagering up and running before then.
“We are hopeful to bring mobile sports betting to Kansans by football season,” Butler National Corp. CEO Clark Stewart said via press release.
