Kentucky Horse Racing Commission authorizes temporary sports wagering licenses to 7 racetracks

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKYT) – Kentuckians are now one step closer to being able to place bets on sporting events in Kentucky.

In a meeting Tuesday, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission authorized temporary licenses for sports wagering to seven racetracks.

• Churchill Downs
• Cumberland Run
• Ellis Park
• Oak Grove
• Red Mile
• Sandy’s
• Turfway Park.

They also authorized temporary licenses for sports betting service providers.

“Draft Kings, FanDuel, BetMGM, those entities were all on the receiving end of approvals from the commission today,” said sports betting analyst Geoff Zochodne

Geoff Zochodne explains there are still some technical steps the KHRC must take before sports betting begins in September. This includes ensuring there are geolocation services in place to make sure bets are being placed within state lines and releasing a catalog of events and wagers.

“It’s essentially a list of what you can bet on in the state, so there will be, for instance, the NFL in there, and it’ll say you can bet on NFL games and point spread the money lines the total points in a game that sort of thing,” Zochodne said.

Zochodne says this catalog can be adjusted in the future according to the desires of betters and operators in the state.

Kentuckians will be able to pre-register an account with approved mobile apps on August 28. In-person betting will begin on September 7, and mobile betting will begin on September 28.

The temporary licenses approved by the commission today can be converted to annual licenses in the future.

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