Thursday, January 4th, 2024 was a historic day in Kansas’ sports betting industry as the Prairie Band Casino and Resort in Mayetta, Kansas became the site of the first tribal nation’s land-based sportsbook.
Let’s go through the main points that made this project possible and how it fits into the overall new sportsbooks industry.
Compact Amended
It was a long, circuitous route to get where the Prairie Band found themselves last week in opening the first tribal sportsbook in the Sunflower State. The gaming compact between the state and the tribal nations did not account for sportsbooks, retail or otherwise.
Therefore, a change in the language had to be made in order for the tribal nations to operate a retail sportsbook and then that amendment would have to be voted on by the state legislature. Needless to say, it was not an easy fix.
After countless meetings between the Prairie Band Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and the political powers that be in the state of Kansas, as well as the Department of the Interior, a vote was taken in May of last year.
The Senate version, SR 1725, passed by a 27-8 vote, and a complementary House bill, HR 6026, was also approved, 93-27, putting the state legislature’s stamp of approval on the retail sports betting bill, allowing a sportsbook at the Prairie Band Casino and Resort.
Zach Pahmahmie, Tribal Counsel Vice Chair, said after the ratification, “Our original gaming compacts did not permit the nation, or all four tribes in the state of Kansas were prohibited in actually taking part in sports wagering, so the very fundamental step moving forward was to change the language in the original compact to permit that.”
Step Right Up and Make a Bet
The culmination of all those efforts came to pass when the sportsbook finally opened on the first Thursday of the New Year. The Chairperson of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick, credited the lawmakers and Governor Laura Kelly for being instrumental in allowing the tribes to gain access to sports betting and compete with commercial casinos that already have sportsbooks inside their facilitates.
Rupnick said, “I think when the state first went with sports betting tribes weren’t really considered in that and then we had to go back and amend the law to allow us to amend our compact with the state.”
“One of the things we asked for is to allow tribes to be on the same playing field as every other casino in the state of Kansas. I hope that everybody will enjoy this amenity and have a good time here!” added Rupnick.
The sportsbook has a lounge and big-screen TVs for those who want to sit, have a drink, and watch the games. But there are also sports betting kiosks available for those who want to make a wager and move on with their day.
Director of Gaming Chris Garrow, said the tribal sportsbook is locally owned unlike other casinos, and all the revenue is poured back into the tribal community.
“It’s a locally owned, locally operated sportsbook. Think of it as your mom-and-pop shops,” Garrow said.
Calculators
