© Rich Sugg/[email protected]/Kansas City Star/TNS Legalized sports betting got underway Thursday in Kansas, including a location at the Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway, in Kansas City, Kansas.
Sports betting is live in Kansas. But some gamblers were feeling frustration Thursday.
BetMGM, one of several platforms in Kansas where people can place bets and a newly announced partner of the Kansas City Chiefs, had issues with its app on launch day.
The betting service promoted a deal that new bettors could get up to $200 in free bets to use on the app, but some users took to social media to say the money did not show up in their accounts at noon when wagering began.
BetMGM app not working for some Kansas bettors
One user on Twitter noted that when he tried to sign into the app, the screen went white. He signed in on his computer and noticed that the funds weren’t in his account.
“It seems as if MGM is crashing due to the huge demand of Kansans storming the app on opening day,” said bettor Heath Fanning from Lenexa. “When you go to the sign-in link on the app, it goes to a white page.”
BetMGM spokesperson Elisa Richardson said in an email that the tech team still “needed to push the app fully live before pre-reg customers could see their $200 free bet credit,” citing confusion with the timing that betting started in the state.
“Full launch was 1 pm local time today,” Richardson said in an email.
Cory Thone, spokesperson for the Kansas Lottery told The Star on Wednesday that sports betting would officially launch for both casinos and apps at noon.
At 1:30 p.m., BetMGM told The Star in an email that all pre-registered customers should see the $200 in their accounts.
Shaun Newkirk, who is betting in Overland Park, sent The Star a screenshot of his BetMGM app. It shows that the $200 bet credit was coming in increments of $50, but that by 2 p.m. he still hadn’t received the full amount.
The betting service is now also advertising a deal where new customers can get up to $1,000 in risk-free bets. The money can only be used on BetMGM.
On Thursday, BetMGM and the Kansas City Chiefs announced a new multi-year partnership that will include BetMGM signs at Arrowhead. The Chiefs will also share BetMGM content and deals online.
Chiefs President Mark Donovan said in a release, “As an industry leader in the space, we are excited to welcome BetMGM to Chiefs Kingdom.”
Here’s The Star’s guide to participating in the first day of Kansas sports betting.
If you’re having other issues or have questions, let us know at [email protected].
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