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Kentucky Reports Strong Start to Legal Sports Betting

Dave Bonderoff

Last Updated: September 22, 2023 4:17 PM EDT • 2 min 19 sec read.

General view of the Kentucky Wildcats as Kentucky had a strong opening weekend of mobile sports betting.
General view of the Kentucky Wildcats against the EKU Colonels at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky. Andy Lyons/Getty Images/AFP

It has been just over two weeks since the legal sports betting industry launched in Kentucky with a retail-only focus. Nine Kentucky horse racing track started taking sports bets on Sept. 7 with a full menu of sports and markets for Kentuckians to take advantage of.

Regulators released a report Thursday on just how the brick-and-mortar Kentucky sports betting industry has performed so far. And by all accounts, the wagering activity has been solid, prior to the launch of a more lucrative and all-encompassing mobile platform with online sports betting sites that go live Sept. 28. 

“This is a strong number that certainly reflects the excitement Kentuckians have for the opening of sports wagering,” Gov. Andy Beshear said on Kentucky's legal sports betting kickoff. “With college football and the NFL season underway, plus the launch of mobile wagering, we expect that number will grow significantly.

“It has taken many years to get here, but sports wagering is finally a reality in Kentucky. This is a win-win for Kentuckians, who can enjoy a quality entertainment experience and benefit from funds staying right here in our state to help us build a better Kentucky.”

$4.5 million in two weeks

Gov. Beshear announced that just over $4.5 million in wagers had been placed with the state's brick-and-mortar sports betting facilities in the two weeks following the launch of legal sports betting in the Bluegrass State. 

It is a respectable number for a new sports betting jurisdiction, but one that may have been skewed a tad by the lack of a mobile option, which will be coming to the Kentucky market Sept. 28.

Still, $4.5 million in retail sports betting for any state is a win. The fact that it happened in just two weeks in Kentucky is even more impressive.

Looking forward

There has to be a lot of optimism for the Kentucky legal sports betting market going forward. The retail numbers are impressive, as are the reported 60,000 accounts that have already been created for the online sports betting platform that will be up-and running in about a week's time. There are whispers that the 60,000 figure doesn't account for all of the pre-registered accounts created and taking advantage of Kentucky sportsbook promos.

There are seven Kentucky sports betting apps that are ready for launch on Sept. 28. Regulators in the state have paved the way for as many as 27 licenses to be awarded (three skins for every licensed horse racing track).

They include:

Other recent developments in the Kentucky scene

The Kentucky Sports Wagering Council met on Thursday and among other things, approved new additions to its sports wagering menu. By the time mobile sports betting launches next week, the following sports will be part of the wagering catalog in the state:

  • Formula 1 Racing
  • National Rugby League in Australia
  • Professional Fighter’s League MMA
  • Bellator MMA
  • Universal Tennis League

These sports add to a rather complete menu of options for Kentuckians to enjoy. The Kentucky sports betting menu is on par with most, if not all legal sports betting jurisdictions in the country.

Of note, horse racing and dog racing is still absent from the Kentucky sports betting menu. It wasn’t a huge issue with the launch of retail, as all wagers in the ponies and dogs were mandated to take place in-person anyway. But hopes are that in the not-too-distant future, Kentucky sports betting apps will be able to offer action on both horse and dog racing.

After all, Kentucky is home to the one of the biggest and most bet on sporting annual events on American soil, the Kentucky Derby.

Written By:
Dave Bonderoff
Dave Bonderoff and betting go hand-in-hand. Both are characterized by "odds". Dave fancies himself as one of the most dedicated sports and pop-culture junkies around, to the chagrin of his family and friends. Following sports for 50 years and writing about it for 20, Dave hasn't found a sport yet that can't contribute to 2-3 straight hours of couch time. That search remains ongoing. As a good old Canadian boy, hockey is in Dave’s heart, as is curling sadly. But evolution is a real thing and that’s why football, baseball, and just about every sport on the planet has become a passion. Dave isn’t afraid to kill some time obsessing over politics or the far-too-frequent awards shows the consume the airwaves.