Sports betting has finally launched in the US state of Kansas. That’s not all though as top NFL team the Kansas City Chiefs have announced the signing of a multi-year sponsorship deal with BetMGM.
BetMGM, FanDuel and DraftKings are all now offering sportsbooks in the state. A ‘soft’ launch has arrived just in time for the new NFLseason that begins this month. September 8 will see the official launch take place following the signing of the required bill in May of this year.
It usually takes a lot longer to progress from passing the necessary law to actually opening sportsbooks. The lure of all the tax revenue that will quickly start flowing, especially with the NFL betting, was just too important to miss out on. Impressive figures for the first month of sports betting in the state are likely to be extremely impressive.
Bets are now being via mobile apps and also in-person at the state-owned casinos in Kansas. Those betting online must be in Kansas at the time the wager is placed. The tribal casinos that exist in Kansas are still in negotiations with state officials about how they can offer sports betting.
The newly announced sponsorship deal will see BetMGM becoming an official sports betting partner of the Chiefs. This will include their logo being displayed inside GEHA Field where the NFL side plays their home games.
The BetMGM brand will also be shown on stadium advertising boards throughout their matches. Fans will have the chance to win prizes and game-day experiences even if not attending the matches.
Speaking about the deal, Matt Prevost (their Chief Revenue Officer) said that the company looked forward to “elevating the game day experience for Chiefs fans throughout the region.”
It’s the kind of deal that just wouldn’t have happened in the past. NFL clubs were not keen on sports betting being legalised, fearing it would damage the integrity of their sport. Since 2018 when individual states were allowed to decide themselves whether or not to legalise sports betting, several NFL teams have signed sponsorship deals with gambling companies.
Mark Donovan is the President of the Kansas City Chiefs. He welcomed BetMGM to “Chiefs Kingdom” and spoke about the “significant time and energy” that they had spent calling for sports betting to be legalised in Kansas.
The deal strengthens the links between BetMGM and American Football. They are the official sportsbook for the Canadian NFL and also have a partnership with the US NFL.
