Sports betting goes live in Kentucky this September

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Kentucky became the 38th state to legalize sports betting when the legislature passed the law in March.

Retail sports betting will go live in just a few weeks after the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announced regulations.

We took a deeper dive into the program and what betters can expect next month.

• How will sports betting work in Kentucky?
• What will sports betting look like at Keeneland?

When the Chiefs and Lions take the field on the first Thursday in September, Kentucky sports betting will be making its first kick-off.

Lawmakers rejoiced at the long-awaited victory.

“One thing people need to be reminded, we’ve had sports wagering for decades and decades in horse racing. All we’re doing is adding various types of options to horse racing and para-mutual wagering. It made sense to take it through the Horse Racing Commission for that reason,” said Rep. Alan Gentry, D-Louisville.

Retail betting will open during the NFL kick-off game on September 7, and online sports betting will roll out a few weeks later on September 28.

State law allows up to 30 Kentucky betting apps and websites to launch.

“For the last few years, a lot of our discretional spending has left the state. Now, we’re going to retain that. Not only that, we have things that other states don’t have. We have the best bourbon in the world,” Rep. Gentry said.

In neighboring Ohio, it took almost a year after legislation was passed before the first legal sports wagers were placed. Meanwhile, Indiana was much quicker to get their program up and running, launching in less than five months.

“We now have a portion of tax revenues going towards addicted gambling for the first time ever,” said Rep. Gentry. “It’s something that we needed to do, and this bill allowed us to do that.”

Kentucky will allow sports betting for 18-year-olds, whereas other states require betters to be 21 or older.

Lawmakers who proposed sports betting are “betting” on it to generate an estimated $23 million in tax revenue. Whether that happens depends on how much Kentuckians bet. Online and in-person operators will pay taxes based on how much revenue they generate. The bulk of that tax revenue will go into the state’s pension fund. A small amount, 2.5%, will go to help and treat gambling addiction.

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