T-minus two months until sports betting goes live in Kentucky, opens for NFL season

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Fans in Kentucky can place their bets on sporting events outside of horse racing for the first time in less than 60 days.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission voted unanimously Monday to pass emergency administrative regulations to ensure sports wagering launches in the Commonwealth in September.

Gov. Andy Beshear joined the KHRC and lawmakers at the Lexington horse racing track and gaming venue Red Mile to sign the regulations.

“When you look back at this, the odds were against us, but we were determined to get sports betting passed in Kentucky and we got it done,” Beshear said moments before signing his name.

Lawmakers passed the law, known as HB 551, in a bipartisan vote on the last day of 2023. When it officially became law at the end of June, the law stipulated sports betting get up and running by December, but Beshear stressed his desire to see it launch by the start of the NFL season.

“Bringing sports wagering to the state not only gives Kentuckians a much-anticipated new form of entertainment but also brings money to the state to support pensions, freeing up money that can be used to build a better Kentucky through the funding of education, economic development, disaster recovery and other necessary projects, like providing cleaner water, building roads and high-speed internet,” Beshear said.

In-person betting is first up to bat.

Kentuckians can place their wagers at brick-and-mortar retail locations starting Sept. 7, the first day of the NFL regular season.

State law reserved exclusive in-person sportsbook rights to Kentucky’s horse racing tracks and their gaming venues, facilities like Churchill Downs and the Tri-State’s own Turfway Park in Florence and Newport.

“Sports betting has been an amenity our guests have been asking about since our grand opening,” Turfway Park President Michael Taylor said.

Starting July 11, each of Kentucky’s licensed horse racing facilities can apply for a retail sportsbook at their main location or at a licensed satellite location.

Taylor said his team is jumping on the application.

“We’ll add several sports betting kiosks throughout both of our Northern Kentucky properties for live wagering and several large-screen, high-definition televisions for the ultimate game viewing experience,” he said.

Online betting will go live a few weeks later on Sept. 28. Because each of Kentucky’s nine horse racing facilities is allowed to partner with up to three marketing platforms for mobile wagering, the state could see a total of 27 active betting apps in the fall.

Turfway Park has yet to announce any partners, though Churchill Downs announced it will be partnering with FanDuel and Kenneland and Red Mile announced they will be partnering with Ceasers Sportsbook.

“We have worked hard to deliver sports wagering to Kentuckians with regulations designed to protect bettors,” said Public Protection Cabinet Secretary Ray Perry in a press release. “Kentuckians can be sure that their bets are safe, their money is protected and there is effective oversight and enforcement if the law is not followed.”

To streamline the process, the KHRC moved forward with emergency regulations to allow them to take effect immediately after being filed with the Legislative Research Commission. An ordinary regulation was filed at the same time, which will allow for a period of public comment and legislative review.

Kentucky is expected to net around $23 million annually from sports betting. The Commonwealth becomes the 37th state to legalize the industry, joining 6 of it’s 7 bordering states, including Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia.

In May, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announced that it was hiring additional staff to prepare for the sports wagering launch, according to a press release. The commission is in the process of filling 14 new positions.