Kansas City Area Bookies: Is Sports Betting Legal in Kansas, Missouri?

Written by:
Ean Lamb
Published on:
Jul/07/2014
Kansas City Area Bookies: Is Sports Betting Legal in Kansas, Missouri?

Kansas City bookies are abundant and with good reason.  The Chiefs have one of the most loyal fan bases in the nation while college basketball and college football enjoy huge popularity.

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As one might imagine, there are plenty of bars and social establishments throughout the Kansas City area where bookies can ply their trade, and most opt to us the services of a Pay Per Head in order to make their lives less stressful.

The Kansas City area encompasses both the state of Kansas and Missouri, both of which do not permit sports betting.  In Missouri, one who places a bet could pay a fine up to $300 if caught.  The prosecution of sports bettors is extremely rare, if it has ever occurred at all.  Most law enforcement activity tends to focus on larger bookmaking outfits. 

Pay Per Heads also serves to eliminate the need for wire rooms and record keeping that helps serve as critical evidence in bookmaking cases.  These Pay Per Head operations do not handle money transactions and, as such, the bookies themselves could get into trouble for facilitating gambling transactions.

One of the key focal points is on the local Kansas City crime family, the Civellas.  Members of this crime family have been convicted in the past of illegal gambling.

That family gained some national media attention in recent months after it was revealed that the first openly gay NFL player, Michael Sam, is dating the grandson of Willie the Rat" Cammisano, who had ties to this family.

The latest big bookie bust in the Kansas City occurred in 2010 with the arrests of Michael V. Badalucco and others who were charged with running a $3.5 million illegal gambling biz.

Simple vs. Aggravated Gambling:  The distinction between "simple" and "aggravated" gambling is also one that varies from state to state.  That terminology may not be used in a state's criminal law at all.  It may be phrased as mere "gambling" versus "professional gambling."  It may come into play only based on second or third violations of a given criminal prohibition. 

Missouri's felony penalty applies only to a "professional gambler" as defined.  Bookmaking in both Kansas and Missouri could result in a felony as opposed to a misdemeanor that is applied in nearly half the US states.   Missouri, in particular, does have tougher laws against bookies as a result of the “professional” provision in its state law.

Neither state expressly prohibits online gambling.

- Ean Lamb, Gambling911.com

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