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Sports Betting in Wichita, KS
This is our quick Wichita (KS) online sports betting options overview. Check the gambling sites, legal sportsbooks, mobile apps. Read about near Wichita casinos, gambling locations in 2019/2020. Find out more about best Wichita area casino, racetracks and sports betting destinations.
Wichita Sports Betting Guide
Wichita, the largest city in Kansas, has a rich history of gambling. This started with games of Hazard (a predecessor of today’s Craps) and Monte played out by the cattle drivers of yesteryear, flitting between the smoky gambling dens of Dodge City. In fact, even before this, Native Indian tribes enjoyed gambling type games for centuries.
A long period of prohibition followed but things changed in the 1980’s and 1990s, when racing, tribal casinos and lottery games were allowed. Wichita is on the strict side of things when compared to other US cities when defining what illegal gambling is. However, residents there do have plenty of opportunities to gamble in the various licensed establishments.
As the 20th century marched forth, gambling in Kansas had all but ceased. Slots were banned early on, and the prohibition era saw even limited gambling on races at County Fairs, which were deemed immoral and therefore outlawed.
Like many US states, Kansas outlawed the ‘bet’ part of a gambling transaction in the Wichita sports betting legislation. This therefore makes it difficult to get a carve-out for skill games (including poker), which are a mixture of skill and betting. The exact definition of from the state law is as follows:
“21-4302. Gambling; definitions.
“Bet” means a bargain in which the parties agree that, dependent upon chance, one stands to win or lose something of value specified in the agreement.”
When looking if Wichita will legalize sports betting, things are certainly looking up (also mobile). In 2019, the State Legislature introduced three bills to legalize sports betting: HB 2032, to require that sports gaming be operated and managed solely by racetrack gaming facilities; and HB 2068/S 23, to create the Kansas sports wagering act. HB 2068/S 23 acknowledges the authority of Kansas tribes to operate sports wagering as a prospective lottery gaming facility manager.
However, there seems to be a divide amongst local resident on this thorny issue.
