Work on building a FanDuel retail sportsbook at Kansas Star Casino has been ongoing for a few weeks.
Staff at the casino, which is owned and managed by Boyd Gaming, were expecting to continue working around the clock right through Thursday’s scheduled “soft” launch of sports betting at noon in Kansas. They’ve been working practically non-stop in order to have the 2,100-square-foot retail sportsbook space completed before the grand opening takes place Sept. 8 at 10 a.m., according to David Strow, Boyd Gaming vice president of corporate communications.
“Our crew has been working day and night to get that book ready for the 8th [of September],” Strow said. “We’ll be ready to go — both the physical sportsbook and the FanDuel app.”
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In the meantime, the first week of retail betting will take place in a temporary space on the property.
Under Kansas law, each of the state’s four retail casinos can partner with up to three digital platforms. Regulators were set to launch mobile platforms from Barstool Sportsbook, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel, and PointsBet as early as noon Thursday. In addition to FanDuel’s brick-and-mortar location, the Barstool Sportsbook at the Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway was also planning to open Thursday.
Kansas will become the 16th state where FanDuel will offer mobile sports betting as well as a retail location. https://t.co/COIYjqdiRr
— WIBW (@wibw) August 31, 2022
Kansas, latest state to go live
Kansas is set to become the 32nd state to go live with some form of sports betting, and is the third state to go live this year behind New York and Louisiana. In addition to the temporary book that will give way a week later to the permanent book, the FanDuel app will also be operational and sports bets will be allowed via mobile devices.
When it’s complete, FanDuel’s permanent sportsbook will have four teller windows, 20 IGT betting kiosks, 28 HD televisions, and seating for 40 customers.
“This is a partnership with FanDuel and Boyd Gaming for a few years, so this isn’t our first rodeo,” Strow said of preparing for the Kansas launch.
The Mulvane, Kansas, casino and hotel is located on the west side of the Kansas Turnpike south of Wichita, and it’s close enough to the Missouri and Oklahoma borders that the retail sportsbook is expecting to attract some out-of-state patrons. Strow said sportsbooks tend to draw in younger people, and the launch of retail and mobile sportsbooks could lead to a boost in attendance at the casino coming from places such as Tulsa and Oklahoma City.
“We could see more interest from those other markets,” Strow said.
While the soft opening promised to be low key, the grand opening on Sept. 8 will feature Kansas native and former NFL wide receiver Jordy Nelson placing the ceremonial first bet.
