Western Kansas has welcomed a new retail sportsbook. Dodge City’s Boot Hill Casino and Resort opened its DraftKings sportsbook this past week around six months after lawmakers legalized sports betting in the Jayhawk State.
The Kansas casino opened the sportsbook at arguably the perfect time, as the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments’ first-round games tip off this week.
The sportsbook opening is a culmination of a multi-year retail and online partnership with DraftKings, one that Boot Hill’s parent company Butler National Corporation is excited about. Butler National Corporation CEO Clark Stewart said this past September when Boot Hill’s online DraftKings sportsbook launched:
“We’re excited to be a part of the launch of sports betting in the State of Kansas. Kansans can now access the latest betting markets as well as bet on local teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, Kansas Jayhawks, Kansas State Wildcats and Sporting KC.”
Boot Hill is one of four commercial casinos with retail sports betting in the state.
Kansas sportsbook opening will drive revenue, tourism
Speaking with local media, Butler National’s vice president, Chris Reedy, said he sees the DraftKings sportsbook opening as an avenue to drive revenue and tourism to Dodge City.
“It’s a great opportunity for us out here in Dodge City to drive tourism and the items that the Kansas Expanded Lottery Act were supposed to drive,” Reedy told Wichita’s 12 News.
DraftKings’ name recognition should help Boot Hill drive the business to its new sportsbook. However, the casino will continue to rely on its online sportsbook to generate most of its sports betting revenue. This is typically the case with all casinos. Online sports betting tends to make up more than 90% of a state’s sports betting handle when mobile and retail sportsbooks are available.
On the mobile side, Boot Hill’s DraftKings sportsbook captures the biggest share of bets placed through the state’s seven online sports betting apps. Since sports betting launched in Kansas six months ago, DraftKings has accounted for more than 30% of all bets placed.
Kansas teams looking to make March Madness impact
Only two Kansas men’s teams are headed to the NCAA tournament this year: Kansas and Kansas State.
The Kansas Jayhawks earned a #1 seed this year. They are sitting at +1200 odds to win the tournament this year, according to DraftKings. Houston is the favorite, followed by Alabama, Purdue, and UCLA.
The Kansas State Wildcats earned a #3 seed and are at +7500 to win the tournament, according to DraftKings.
The Jayhawks have won the NCAA Tournament four times, including a 72-69 win over North Carolina last year. The Wildcats have never made it past the Elite Eight and have earned a #3 seed or better only twice.
