Kansas State Revenue April
TOPEKA — Four months into 2025, Kansas sportsbooks have written $975 million in tickets, a 9.9% bump on last year’s early returns. Yet operators’ take-$61.3 million in gross gaming revenue (GGR)-is actually 4.2% lower after the blended hold slipped to 6.28% (-0.93 pp). The state still came out ahead: a full $6.13 million flowed to the treasury, up 75 % year-over-year (YoY), thanks to a higher effective cut of operator revenue.
| Metric (Jan – Apr) | 2024 | 2025 | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handle | $887.7m | $975.2m | +9.9% |
| GGR | $64.0m | $61.3m | –4.2% |
| Hold % | 7.21% | 6.28% | –0.93pp |
| Tax revenue | $3.49m | $6.13m | +75.5% |
Figures aggregated from monthly revenue reports by the Kansas Lottery and Kansas Racing & Gaming Commission.
Why is the increased handle not translating into bigger house wins
- Parlay cool-off: Same-game-parlay share dipped after March Madness, shaving margin on a heavier straight-bet mix.
- Sharper pricing: DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars, and ESPN BET all tightened MLB odds, chasing price-sensitive bettors in the border war with Missouri’s offshore market.
- One-off jackpots: February’s Chiefs–Niners Super Bowl run paid out big in a state packed with Kansas City fans, clawing back early-year operator gains.
Still, the 10% statutory tax on GGR levied since day one of the market’s September 2022 launch under SB 84 means even a leaner win rate delivers more money to state coffers as handle grows.
What to Expect in the Future?
With the NFL preseason only weeks away and Fanatics set for its first full football cycle in Kansas, total handle is on pace to break the $3 billion barrier for a calendar year, a milestone the “Sunflower State” hasn’t yet hit. Lawmakers are watching Missouri’s stalled legalization effort; the cross-border bump could widen if Kansas remains the only legal option in the KC metro.
Kansas Sports Betting Landscape
- Kansas bettors can choose from seven online sportsbooks (DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, ESPN BET, Fanatics, and Bally Bet) plus retail windows at the state’s four commercial casinos.
- Sports wagering became legal less than three years ago. It soft-launched on Sept. 1, 2022, and fully opened a week later, after years of failed bills culminating in SB 84’s passage.
- The Kansas Lottery projects sports-wagering transfers could top $15 million annually once the market stabilizes, channeling dollars to economic-development funds and problem-gambling programs.
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Sergey has been in sports journalism since 2007 as a reporter, editor, and manager. He has covered the Olympic Games, soccer World Cups, the World Cup of Hockey in 2016, the European championships, the Stanley Cup Finals, IOC events, and many others. Sergey interviewed the sport's greatest athletes, coaches, and executives. Since 2016, he has been an Independent Senior Editor of NHL.com/ru.