Kansas Sports Betting Handle Broke Records in September

Article ByDavid Weir

October 13, 2023

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Posted in: Kansas Gambling News, US Gambling News, US Sports Betting News

In September 2023, Kansas sports bettors set a new record, according to the latest data release from the Kansas Lottery. Bettors wagered a total of $219.3 million, eclipsing the previous record of $206.3 million set in March.

This figure represents a 36.6% year-on-year increase compared to the debut of Kansas sports betting in September 2022. A year ago, Kansas’ bettors wagered $160.5 million in the market’s first legal month. This September’s record figure is also a substantial 132.3% increase from August 2023’s $94.4 million.

With this NFL season-led betting charge, the state has now surpassed $2 billion in total handle since legalization.

DraftKings Mobile on Top, Caesars Loses Out

As in most states, mobile betting was favored way above Kansas retail sportsbooks. Online bets accounted for $201.1 million, outpacing the previous high of $197 million set in March.

DraftKings was the most popular operator, posting wagers worth $97.2 million. That smashed its own previous state high established last November at $83.6 million. The platform also recorded $8.3 million in gross revenue, resulting in a hold of 8.6%, which was the second-highest total ever in that category.

FanDuel, while not as dominant in Kansas as in other states, achieved a double-digit hold for the 10th time in 13 months, reaching 11.7%. Its $6.4 million in revenue came from a $54.5 million handle.

BetMGM, on the other hand, had the highest hold among the six mobile sportsbooks in Kansas, hitting 12.3% to claim $2.6 million in gross revenue from $21.4 million wagered.

The least-popular operator for the month was PointsBet, which is the process of changing over to Fanatics. However, in September, it was Caesars Sportsbook that really took a hammering from Kansas bettors. Despite posting an $18 million handle, nearly ten times PointsBet’s, Caesars only made $25,000 in revenues.

DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM were the primary contributors to the promotional credits, which totaled more than $11.6 million, the highest since last year’s launch.

Retail Betting Also Hits New Heights

Retail betting may be behind the race, but it still also picked up speed in September. The state’s retail sportsbooks, all located in Kansas casino venues, collectively recorded a handle of $18.2 million.

The Bartstool Sportsbook at Hollywood Kansas was the dominant player, accounting for 88% ($16 million) of that amount. Despite the substantial bump in handle, it did not set a new mark for revenue. Despite its apparent popularity, the venue will also soon be rebranded by owner Penn Entertainment into an ESPN Sportsbook after deal August’s deal with the veteran sports broadcaster.

Its hold of 2.9% saw it claim just $459,000 in revenue. The collective hold for the brick-and-mortar venues was 3.1%, resulting in $570,000 in total retail revenue.

The state collected $484,366 in taxes during the month, which includes $760,163 in online tax and $45,934 in retail taxes.

The impressive record-breaking figures from September 2023 not only highlight the growing popularity of sports betting in Kansas, but also suggest a potential for even higher handles in the coming months.