Kansas Online Casinos

Kansas Online Casinos and Real Money Slots

Regulation and legality of online gambling

Online gambling isn’t legal in Kansas. Contrary to popular belief, that doesn’t mean that it’s illegal. Even though both players and iGaming experts are aware that online gambling has been a thing for almost two decades now, legislators are much slower when it comes to catching up with new technologies.

As a result, online gambling isn’t even mentioned in the state’s legislature. This effectively means that you cannot get in trouble for playing any games of chance online. Operators, on the other hand, can get slapped with a Class 8 felony (15+ months in prison) if they set up any form of gambling operators.

Kansas has always been one of the most conservative states, especially when it comes to online casinos. Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) has been legal since 2006, but only because of a ruling by the US Congress. Other skill games can also be wagered on in legal fashion.

Things get even stranger when you realize that the Kansas State Racing and Gaming Commission closed down all land-based horse and greyhound racing establishments, only to legalize this form of gambling in online form. Yes, you read that right!

Even though the overall situation with online gambling in Kansas is confusing, you can still play. Basically, you can access any out-of-state or offshore site that accepts players from the Sunflower State. In case you end up rejected, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) will help you by spoofing your IP address and fooling the site in the process.

Online gambling hasn’t been addressed officially in the criminal codes and legislation of the State of Kansas. Some officials have expressed their opinion that current laws do cover internet gambling within their current format, which is arguable. Yes, the term ‘electronic device’ is mentioned, but since there are no specifications, this would hardly be a basis for prosecution.

A bill was passed in 2013 which sought to motivate land-based casinos and tried to ban online gambling across the state. According to the House Bill 2055, taking part in online gambling would be classified as a Class B nonperson misdemeanor, punishable by a fine ($1,000) and up to 6 months in jail. However, the Kansas Senate voted the Bill 2055 down (24 to 15).

Gambling history in Kansas:

Before there was a thriving gambling industry in Kansas, like the one today, there were oscillations and periods when gambling was frowned upon and widely accepted. At first, there were cattle drivers who liked to play games of Hazard (a dice game considered one of the predecessors of today’s craps) and Monte, mostly around Dodge City, frequenting smoky gambling dens. The Sunflower State then went through a quite a long period of prohibition of any type of gambling. The government banned all gambling devices and tables in 1868.

It wasn’t until the 1980’s when the things finally got moving, and horse race gambling was legalized. Bingo and lottery were introduced in this period as well. In the 1990’s, the state signed compacts with the native tribes and allowed them to open gambling facilities supplied with Class 3 gaming items. This included poker, table games and slot machines.

Now, Kansas benefits from both state-operated and tribal casinos on land, and plenty of options for online gaming, even though the current laws of the State of Kansas do not authorize or license any online casino venue. Like many other Americans, folks from Kansas seek their virtual gambling entertainment on offshore sites.

Land based casinos

People from Kansas can choose from several state-owned facilities and multiple tribal casinos in the state. The commercial casino industry, which lies on 4 casinos, is supervised by the state lottery. These venues include Boot Hill in Dodge City, Hollywood Casino in Kansas City, Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane and Kansas Crossing in Pittsburg. The first to open was Boot Hill Casino & Resort in 2009. It has 800 slots and over a dozen tables. Hollywood Casino is a larger venue with 2,000 slot machines, and Kansas Star Casino follows with over 1,850 slots and a wide range of table games. The newest and the smallest is Kansas Crossing Casino which opened in 2017, offering 650 slots a little over a dozen table games.

As for the casino establishments run by Native Americans, the most notable are Casino White Cloud, The Sac and Fox Casino, Prairie Band Casino and Resort and Golden Eagle Casino. The Golden Eagle was launched in 1996 by the Kickapoo Tribe. It occupies more than 45,000 square feet of gambling space, has 700 gaming machines (slots and poker) and includes a bingo hall and a buffet. The Prairie Band Casino in Mayetta is the largest tribal casino in KS, owned by the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribe. It houses over 1,000 slot machines and 30 table games, offers 300 rooms in its hotel and counts on multiple restaurants to service its customers. The Sac and Fox Casino occupies to most space, compared to other venues in the state - over 105,000 square feet. Over 700 gaming machines are located on its casino lobby, and visitors can take pleasure in blackjack, poker, craps, and roulette, as well.

Neighbouring States: Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma

Top Kansas Casino Slots and Games

References

[1] Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission

[2] Kansas Lottery

[3] Online gambling - are players at risk of prosecution?

[4] American Gaming Association - https://www.americangaming.org