While the offers aren’t quite as attractive as the $3,000 deposit match Caesars Sportsbook offered when New York launched mobile sports betting earlier this year, the company will again be the most aggressive of the bunch Thursday when six operators go live in Kansas.
Caesars is offering to credit new customers up to $1,250 on their first bet, as well as 1,000 Tier Credits and 1,000 Rewards Credits once players have signed up, made a deposit, and placed their first bet. With the exception of BetMGM, which is offering up to a $1,000 credit on a losing first bet, the offer is by far the most bettors can get in Kansas.
Six operators — Barstool Sportsbook, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel, and PointsBet — are all slated to go live with digital platforms in Kansas on Sept. 1, marking only the third mobile launch in the U.S. for 2022. Barstool Sportsbook will also open its retail location at the Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway Thursday, while FanDuel will open its retail book at Kansas Crossing Casino. The Kansas Lottery has set 12 p.m. CT as the launch time.
Coming Thursday in Kansas: Hollywood Casino's Barstool Sportsbook appears to be the only retail location that will open this week.https://t.co/DC5OoJ3M65
— Sports Handle (@sports_handle) August 29, 2022
BetMGM offering ‘risk-free’ token, $50 bonus
Among other mobile sportsbooks, BetMGM is offering a “risk-free” token for the first week of the college football season to every Kansas customer, and a $50 refer-a-friend cash bonus — both for the bettor and the friend.
Earlier this year, Caesars made news when it offered new New York customers a $3,000 deposit match and a $300 signup bonus. The deposit match was the most lucrative offer made by any operator at any launch, as the match funds were not keyed to a single bet and could be used over time. Caesars did offer a $5,000 “risk-free” bet — now referred to as a “bet on us,” as some operators move away from using the term “risk-free” — in eight states last fall.
BetMGM is also offering a pre-launch promotion in which new customers get $200 in free bets just for registering on the platform. Consumers should be aware that they must choose between the pre-launch offer and the first-bet credit.
Bold look. Easy navigation. Still #TheKingofSportsbooks.
Welcome to the new BetMGM App 🦁 ➡️ pic.twitter.com/LdTAS8YeST
— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) August 29, 2022
Kansas is a much smaller market than New York, with about 3 million residents compared to just over 19 million, and is home to only one professional sports team, Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City — though many Kansans are also ardent fans of the Kansas City, Missouri-based Chiefs franchise. By comparison, New York has 11 professional sports team across the five major professional leagues.
But Kansas bettors should expect to see specials around college football in the early going. Both Kansas and K-State will be at home during Week 1, with the Jayhawks hosting Texas Tech Friday and Kansas State hosting South Dakota Saturday.