Bally’s Partners with Kansas Casino Ahead of Sports Betting

With local government likely taking another look at Kansas sports betting in 2022, one company has taken the next step in anticipation of legalization.

Bally's Corp. announced Monday it has entered into a multiyear market arrangement with Dodge City-based Boot Hill Casino & Resort. Boot Hill would implement Bally’s mobile sportsbook — Bally Bet — when online sports betting sites become legal in Kansas, according to a news release.

Once approved and signed into law in Kansas, Bally’s would be in its 14th state — joining Colorado, Delaware, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Virginia.

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“We are extremely excited to work with Boot Hill Casino & Resort in Kansas,” George Papanier, president and chief executive officer of Bally's Corp., said in the release. “This relationship, which marks the 14th state in which customers can access our omnichannel platform, provides a significant opportunity for Bally's to enter into yet another attractive mobile sports betting market.”

“With the approval of pending sports betting legislation in the state, we can't wait for Kansas sports fans to engage in our best-in-class online sports betting offerings.”

Bally's Expansion Grows

Bally’s, based in Rhode Island and traded on the NYSE, has unveiled an aggressive strategy as it expands within the U.S. gambling and sports entertainment market.

Kansas would be the third state where Bally's does not maintain a land-based casino but would have an online presence.

Bally’s Corp. on May 25 launched Bally Bet, its mobile sportsbook, in Colorado, where the company has three casinos. Bally’s said it plans to launch the sports betting app in three other markets by the end of the year.

All gaming in Kansas is owned and operated by the Kansas Lottery.

“This is an exciting time in Kansas gaming history, and as a manager for the Kansas Lottery, we are thrilled to embark on this pivotal endeavor with Bally's,” Clark Stewart, chief executive officer of Boot Hill Casino & Resort, said in the release. “Bally's has demonstrated impressive growth and has an outstanding operating track record. We are confident that bringing Bally's diverse and interactive suite of online sports betting solutions to the Boot Hill Casino will significantly enhance the gaming experience for Kansas sports fans.”

April Rejection in Kansas

A substitute for SB 84 failed in the Kansas House Committee of the Whole following a vote of 71-48 against the bill on April 2.

The rejection came less than a month after SB 84 was passed in the state Senate by a vote of 26-11. The bill was officially introduced in the House on March 10 before it was recommended that the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs review it on March 26. Even with numerous amendments, it was rejected.