It may not surprise you that in the same month the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl, more than $194 million was wagered on sports in Kansas. But would it surprise you to learn that the state received only $1,134 of that in tax revenues in the same month?
It surprised Stephenie Roberts, a Wichita social worker and gambling addiction counselor.
“Is criminal too strong a word?” asked Roberts, when she learned from a reporter that Kansas allows sportsbooks to deduct “free plays or other promotional credits” before assessing state tax, basically allowing sportsbooks to advertise their product for free. The deductions reduce what is considered revenue and taxable by the state.
