Sports betting is officially coming to The Sunflower State. Here’s a quick guide to Kansas sports betting as we anticipate that first bet.
There are still multiple lengthy steps that must be taken by the state government before you can place a bet on your beloved Chiefs, Royals, or Jayhawks. Laws must be written. Bids must be solicited for operators.
Operators could include:
- FanDuel
- DraftKings
- BetMGM
- Ceasars
- Barstool Sportsbook
Also, it must be determined how exactly the partnerships will work with professional sports teams and how taxes will work.
There’s also the whole matter of revenue being put into a fund to lure sports teams to Kansas. And with a ton of revenue at stake from gambling on sports that is probably not just political theater.
The real key to sports betting in Kansas, the secret to the entire sports betting enterprise, is for it to be fun.
How to make Kansas sports betting fun
Kansans are going to hear a lot about responsible gaming. They’ll see that all advertisements come with hotlines for people with gambling problems. The first thing to remember is sports betting is only fun when you bet what you can afford.
One of the nice things about the sports betting market is the ability to bet lower amounts. You don’t want your mortgage riding on a Patrick Mahomes touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
What you want is for that Royals win or Jayhawks win to pay for a nice dinner out, maybe flowers for a friend. That’s the smart approach. Everyone has their limits. While $100 may mean nothing to some people, it could mean everything to others.
The first thing every future sports bettor in Kansas should know is that they should always stay within their means.
What will be available to bet on?
Just about everything you could imagine.
Sports betting apps like the ones presented by Caesars and BetMGM list every possible sport and some you may not have ever heard of. Some of the rare types of sports you may have a chance to bet on include:
- Soccer games in leagues around the world
- Formula 1 racing
- Golf
- Badminton. Yes, badminton.
That’s in addition to your Big Four sports: football, basketball, baseball and hockey.
More than just win with Kansas sports betting
Each game comes with different opportunities. When the Chiefs play the Raiders, there will be a point spread on the game. You can bet on the Chiefs to cover the spread, meaning they win by more than the odds set by the sportsbooks, or to just win straight up on what is known as the “money line.”
But there is more. Oh, so much more.
Each game also traditionally has an over/under total set by the sportsbooks. This is for when you don’t necessarily care who wins the game, but you think the point total will be under 47.5 points or over. Then you watch the game and root for the offenses … or defenses.
Mixing them all together
Then you can combine these bets into what is known as a parlay. If you like the Chiefs to beat the Raiders by more than seven points AND think the total points will be over 47.5, you create a parlay.
Essentially, this is two or more bets rolled into one. You make your bet. Your odds are higher, so the payoff is more.
Never-ending prop bets
Right now, BetMGM has the Chiefs as +900 to win the Super Bowl in 2023. This is what is known as a “Futures” bet. These odds fluctuate widely before and during the season.
Sportsbooks offer a wide array of these types of bets. The Chiefs are also +150 to win the AFC West. The Royals are +4000 on BetMGM to win the AL Central.
Prop, or proposition, bets become huge when there is a big game coming, like the Super Bowl or Final Four. These can be silly. You can bet on the coin flip at the Super Bowl. Or serious. You can bet on the over/under number of touchdown passes Mahomes will throw.
Looking at BetMGM, a standard regular season baseball game has 73 different types of prop bets available, anything from will there be extra innings to if a player will hit a home run. And this is just a regular-season game in May.
Take advantage of the opportunity
When Kansas sports betting goes live, maybe by the end of the year, sportsbooks will offer incredible deals. These could include matching deposits and bonus bets.
This is a smart move by them. They want your business. You can be smart and see what the best deal is out there. In some cases, this is free money.
Most bets, however, involve your real money. To make sports betting a fun activity, never lose sight of that fact. Always bet smart and you’ll never truly lose.
Photo by Charlie Riedel/Associated Press