Posted on: July 18, 2023, 01:23h.
Last updated on: July 18, 2023, 01:23h.
The federal government has given approval for sports betting to be offered at a tribal casino in Kansas.
The move paves the way for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation to open a sportsbook at its Prairie Band Casino & Resort this year.
Kansas recently revised its Class III Tribal-State Gaming Compact with the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation to allow the tribe to offer sports betting at its casino on tribal land in Mayetta, Kansas, approximately 25 miles north of Topeka.
The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Indian Affairs published a notice in the Federal Register approving the compact amendment, which can now take effect immediately.
The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation is the first tribe in Kansas to receive approval for a sportsbook and intends to launch its sportsbook by the fourth quarter of this year.
If everything goes as planned, bettors should be able to place bets on most NFL and college football games this year.
September opening
Tribal Council Chairman Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick mentioned in an interview with a local television station that the sportsbook may open as early as September.
“Initially, we’re going to have a sports betting room that’s going to be located in the casino, and our hope is going to be to offer up a mobile app,” Rupnick told Kansas City-based Fox 4.
Level playing field
Kansas legalized sports betting in its commercial casinos last year, and Rupnick expressed his excitement about being on an equal playing field with those competitors.
“To be honest with you, it was a quite cumbersome process, and I didn’t really think it was going to get it done this year,” Rupnick told the Fox affiliate. “But thanks to the governor’s staff, their leadership, along with the leadership of the elected members of the House and Senate, we were able to get this done.”
Sports betting in Kansas began in September 2022, and available operators include Barstool Sportsbook, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, FanDuel, and PointsBet.
Sportsbooks settled more than $98 million in wagers to generate $4 million of revenue in June, the most recent month for which data is available, according to the Kansas Lottery. About $3 million was wagered in person, with more than $94 million coming via online sportsbooks.
The state received a total of $409,425 in proceeds for June.