KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Hollywood Casino is ready to roll out the red carpet for Thursday's soft launch of sports betting in Kansas.
The casino's temporary sportsbook is anticipated to greet a high volume of people with more than 30 kiosks and five windows for sporting betting along with odds boards and TVs.
With the soft launch, casinos and mobile apps will be required to take wagers for NFL, college football and MLB games, with a full range of gambling options coming Sept. 8.
As of now, a total of six mobile sports-betting apps will also be allowed to take sports bets. Kansas Lottery will oversee the wagering operations.
"It's just a new thing that's coming. It's been in other places for a while, and people are excited, and we're excited with them," said Cory Thone, Kansas Lottery spokesperson.
Kansas Lottery says what makes Kansas unique compared to other states is the soft launch comes with no restrictions on how many people can sign up or how large bets can be.
Non-residents can place bets as well but must be physically present within the state of Kansas, which will be verified through the apps and internet services.
The soft launch comes just in time before the start of the NFL season.
"That was not the number one priority," Thone said. "The priority was making sure that everything was functional, safe, secure and fully operational when we came to market."
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