TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators were close Wednesday to approving a measure authorizing sports betting that would dedicate most of the state’s revenues from it to efforts to lure the Kansas City Chiefs from Missouri to the Kansas side of the metropolitan area.
The Kansas Senate expected to vote by Wednesday evening on a bill allowing people in the state to use cellphone or computer apps to bet on sporting events and to place bets at state-owned casinos or up to 50 other locations chosen by each casino. The House approved the measure earlier this month, so the Senate’s approval would send it to Gov. Laura Kelly.
The state would impose a 10% tax on each bet, and the measure says 80% of the revenues — perhaps $5 million a year — would go into a fund to provide incentives for professional sports teams to come to Kansas. The teams could include professional baseball’s Kansas City Royals or pro basketball or hockey teams. However, most supporters contemplated trying to lure the Chiefs to the Legends, a shopping and entertainment district in Kansas City, Kansas, that’s already home to a NASCAR track, professional soccer’s Sporting KC, and a state-owned casino.
The idea faced bipartisan skepticism in the Republican-controlled Legislature, with some lawmakers viewing it as quixotic. But top Republicans said they’re simply trying to put Kansas in a better position to land the Chiefs or another team, should they want to move.
“I would love to see the Chiefs playing in Kansas, but I’m not in a position to really gauge and know how serious that is,” said Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican.
