Kansas Achieves Record-Breaking Sports Betting Volume of $219.3 Million
Slicing Through the Sunflower State's Spreads 🌿
Kansas shattered its sports wagering milestones in September, soaring to an all-time high of $219.3 million. The Sunflower State, in its second year of betting, edged past March's record of $206.3 million, which it had set during its debut in September 2022.
The betting handle more than doubled August's $94.4 million, pushing Kansas over the $2 billion mark in the post-PASPA era. A spirited start to the NFL season propelled the surge, with mobile operators flexing their muscles to capture business. The joint mobile books and Hollywood Kansas combined for over $11.6 million in promotional credits, the highest since launch.
Operators collected $18.2 million in gross revenue, fashioning an 8.3% hold. The revenue was down 17.5% compared to the initial influx, yet the adjusted gross revenue significantly reversed from last year, boasting a substantial $8.1 million.
DraftKings Hits Kansas Record
September's betting numbers 🧵for Kansas via @Kansas_Lottery. 9/23 vs 9/22; vs 8/23
Handle: ⬆️36.6%; ⬆️132.3%GGR: ⬇️17.5%; ⬆️136.9%GGR WR: ⬇️5.43 pts; ⬆️0.16AGR: ⬆️163.2%; ⬆️66.4%AGR WR: ⬆️11.62; ⬇️1.45Taxes: ⬆️$676,480; ⬆️$321,731
14/x #Sportsbettingtwitter
- Chris Altruda (@AlTruda73) October 12, 2023
Mobile operators raked in the dough, with DraftKings stealing the spotlight. DraftKings' $97.2 million in accepted wagers outdid its past high of $83.6 million, established last November. The figure represented almost half of the total mobile handle for September.
DraftKings' gross revenue was a solid $8.3 million, equating to an 8.6% hold, making it the second-highest monthly haul ever. It's the only mobile book to surpass the $8 million mark in Kansas. FanDuel kept a steady pace, maintaining a double-digit hold for the 10th time in 13 months, ending September with an 11.7% hold.
BetMGM took the lead in terms of hold, towering at 12.3% as it pocketed $2.6 million in gross revenue from $21.4 million wagered. The impressive feat lifted its all-time hold in Kansas back over 10%, and its hold for the calendar year edged above 9%.
The top three operators also made a big splash in promotional spending. DraftKings led the pack with $5.7 million, followed by FanDuel, which dished out nearly $3 million, and BetMGM, which tried to keep pace with an outlay of $1.7 million - its first seven-figure spend since March.
Retail Record at Hollywood Kansas
The gambling old-timers didn't feel left out, either. Kansas' four brick-and-mortar venues also scribbled their names in the record books, with Hollywood Kansas taking the reins. Hollywood Kansas accounted for 88% of the $18.2 million in monthly handle by accepting $16 million in bets.
The venue's previous high for handle was a modest $8.5 million back in December, but even this impressive surge didn't break the revenue record. Hollywood Kansas claimed just $459,000 in revenue, with a hold of under 2.9%.
The remaining three in-person locations chimed in with a collective 3.1% hold, raking in $570,000 in overall retail revenue. The year-to-date hold for brick-and-mortar betting stands steady at 3.1%, albeit skewed downward by the $1.8 million loss incurred in February due to the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl win.
Fun Fact: Kansas' sports betting market has grown exponentially since its inception in the post-PASPA era. As of 2025, the state's handle touched $766.433 million, generating $78.463 million in gross revenue. The ongoing upward trend suggests a promising future for Kansas' betting scene.
Line after line, sports betting in Kansas saw a significant boost in September, with a total handle of $219.3 million, marking a new record. DraftKings, a prominent player in sports-betting, set a new personal best with $97.2 million in wagers, outdoing its previous high from last November.
