More than 100,000 sports betting attempts have been blocked in Missouri since Kansas launched its legal sports gambling market last week. The figures correspond to fraud prevention and cybersecurity solutions company GeoComply, which is handling security for mobile sportsbooks operational in the Sunflower State.
GeoComply, which seeks to make sure users are accessing sportsbook apps legally, has been keeping score since Kansas launched legal sports betting last week, on Sept. 1. Bettors attempting to place wagers on these applications from Missouri –where sports betting remains illegal– the app shuts down.
The company has performed about 2.3 million geolocation checks in Kansas on opening weekend, according to KCTV. Since launch, GeoComply has blocked roughly 104,000 attempts from people in Missouri trying to access the Kansas market.
“Kansas is clearly benefiting from Missourians being avid sports fans and their interest in being able to wager,” GeoComply senior director of government relations Danny DiRienzio said. Roughly 10% of all usernames that have placed bets in Kansas belong to people from across the state line.
Since last week’s launch, 6.7% of Kansas adults have signed up for a sportsbook app username, the company’s report further shows. It is an impressive achievement that surpasses both New York and Los Angeles’ numbers on opening weekend. More sign-ups are now expected as the NFL season has kicked off.
“The kickoff of the NFL season is like Christmas for Amazon in the sports betting industry,” DiRienzio said, according to the cited source. “We expect the volumes to increase significantly – not only in the state of Kansas, but certainly by Missourians either attempting to login to Kansas sportsbooks, or even crossing the border. We’ve seen a lot of that activity as well.”
Kansas sports betting went live last week through a “soft launch” phase, while an official launch took place yesterday, Sept. 8. On Thursday, Boyd Gaming and FanDuel opened the FanDuel Sportsbook at the Kansas Star Casino, with the official ribbon-cutting ceremony including a first bet placed by Super Bowl champion and former Kansas State Wildcat Jordy Nelson.
Thursday’s official launch came with the kick-off of the NFL season. The Kansas Star Casino said its new sportsbook is set to become a huge addition. It has 20 self-service kiosks, four betting windows and a TV wall.
Kansas’ soft launch debut last week saw the Sunflower State open its market with six approved operators going live. Gov. Laura Kelly placed the inaugural bet at the Barstool Sportsbook in Hollywood Casino in Kansas City. BetMGM, Barstool, FanDuel, DraftKings, Caesars and PointsBet were the first brands to launch in this new market.
Now, a week later, Kansas Lottery Executive Director Stephen Durrell says it’s been a few busy days for those wanting to place sports bets. “On a worldwide scale, sports wagering is something that people have been doing for quite a while,” Durrell said, according to KWCH. “Now that it’s here in Kansas legally, it seems like people are embracing it.”
Durrell said players have signed up for multiple platforms to take advantage of incentive offers, and money generated over the past week is starting to roll in, with projections near what was originally forecasted. In addition to mobile platforms, Kansas’ four state-owned casinos have begun accepting in-person sports wagers.
https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2022/09/09/64170-kansas-sports-betting-100-000-missouri-wagering-attempts-blocked-since-legal-market-launch