Kansas City by itself is not a large city, with a population of right around 500,000. But when you include the metropolitan area, the population jumps to over 2 million, and it becomes clear how Kansas City is able to support sports teams in three of the five major United States sports leagues.

The Kansas City Chiefs are currently the defending Super Bowl champions (2023) and with Patrick Mahomes locked up long term the Chiefs should be Super Bowl contenders every year for the foreseeable future. The KC Royals won the World Series just a few years back (2015) and Sporting Kansas City has had it’s share of success over the years as well with two MLS Cup wins. With sports as such a big part of living in Kansas City, it should be no surprise that sports betting has become a popular and accepted form of entertainment among city residents over the past decade.

On this page I will explain the legal issues around sports betting in Kansas City, both online and offline, and provide some recommendations for where Kansas City residents can bet on sports online.

Is Sports Betting Legal in Kansas City?

I find the best way to answer this question is in two parts.

For the bettor…

There are no laws against a customer (bettor), such as yourself, from placing bets through an online betting site.

For the operator…

It is not currently legal for a sports betting company (sportsbook) to operate their business within the state of Missouri.

The online sportsbooks that do accept American players are offshore betting sites that are licensed, regulated and operated outside of the state of Missouri (offshore).

The majority of US states now have legalized and regulated sports betting, and it’s expected that Missouri will pass a bill that will legalize sports betting in the state in the near future. There are currently a couple house bills related to sports betting that will attempt to advance during the 2023 legislative session.

Top Betting Sites For Kansas City Residents

Sportsbook
Features
Bonus
Rating
Bet Now
1
  • Built for American bettors
  • Wide variety of competitive betting lines
  • Easy to navigate betting platform
50% up to $250
2
  • Accepts players worldwide
  • Competitive betting lines
  • Fast & easy deposits and withdrawals (including Bitcoin)
50% up to $1000

Bovada and BetOnline are the two most reputable and popular sportsbooks serving United States players.

Both sites are built with the American sports bettor in mind. This shows through in their betting platform, banking options, and customer service which are all catered towards American residents.

Either site is a great option for Kansas City residents. Check out our reviews of Bovada and BetOnline to learn more about the sites.

Offline Sports Betting in Kansas City

Unfortunately, offline sports betting is not legal in the state of Missouri. There are also no horse racing tracks in the city, with The Woodlands horse racing track shutting down in 2008.

If you would like to bet on sports from Kansas City, you will have to do so at one of the betting sites listed above.

Kansas City is home to a variety of casinos, though, and if sports betting is legalized in Kansas City in the future I would expect these casinos to add sports betting options. The most popular casino being the Ameristar Casino Hotel in the northern part of the city.

Ameristar Casino Hotel

Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City is located in the northern part of the city, adjacent to the Missouri River. The Casino has slots, table games, poker and more, but sports betting is not available.

Bovada.lv also has an online casino with all of the games listed above, as well as sports betting.

Major League Sports Teams in Kansas City

  • Kansas City Chiefs (Football – NFL)
  • Kansas City Royals (Baseball – MLB)
  • Sporting Kansas City (Soccer – MLS)