A Kansas House committee approved legislation to permit sports betting at four state-owned casinos, racetracks, retail shops that sell lottery tickets, online and through apps. The full House could bring it up by month’s end.
However, the Senate bill, already approved, doesn’t go as far. Instead, the proposed legislation limits sportsbooks to apps, online and retail, all tied to the casinos, according to the Associated Press. As a result, it seems that the two chambers will have to come up with a final bill each side can live with.
“One of the main reasons that we’re trying to do sports betting is there is a huge black market,” said Senator Jeff Longbine. “We would rather have them in a legal, regulated environment.”
Regardless of who gets to offer wagering, the state Constitution requires the lottery to have oversight. Senate plan supporters say under their plan, the casinos, not the lottery, absorb financial risk. House proponents say otherwise.
In related news, a sports betting bill went down to defeat in the North Dakota Senate twice in three days.
On March 18, the bill failed in the Senate by a narrow margin, but came back for a second chance on March 22 after a senator absent on the prior vote asked for a revote. It lost by a single vote after the House almost unanimously passed the legislation in February, according to the Grand Forks Herald.
If the Senate approved the resolution, residents would get their say on the November 2022 ballot.
Senator Scott Meyer said the legislation would have allowed the state to regulate and tax an industry where players bet on illegal sites. Opponents of the bill, such as Senator David Clemens, argued the state should not provide means for another vice at a time when residents fight addiction issues.
