Las Vegas Resort Welcomes Kentucky Derby Bettors with Free Betting Course Before Race Day

The Resort at Summerlin in Las Vegas is pulling back the curtain on horse race wagering for casual fans ahead of the 152nd Kentucky Derby this Saturday. The property's Race and Sportsbook Manager, Duane Colucci, made an appearance on Good Day Las Vegas this week to walk viewers through what to watch when the field breaks from the gate at Churchill Downs on May 2.

Colucci flagged Renegade - who's a part of our Kentucky Derby picks and predictions - as a horse drawing serious attention from the betting public, with much of that interest tied to jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. riding in the saddle. At the top levels of the sport, the connection between horse and rider carries real weight, and Ortiz Jr. is considered one of the sharpest in the business.

A separate name generating chatter is The Puma - who's seen in our Kentucky Derby long shots and sleeper picks - a 10-1 morning-line contender. Word has been circulating that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce may have quietly taken a 10% ownership interest in the horse. Colucci noted that if that turns out to be true, it will almost certainly funnel a wave of fan-driven money toward The Puma before post time, which is exactly the kind of soft information bettors should factor into their thinking.

The topic of weather also came up during the conversation. Conditions at Churchill Downs are expected to be manageable, but Colucci pointed out that even a moderate amount of rain can reshape a race entirely. A wet track creates an uneven playing field, and certain horses handle that surface far better than others.

There has recently been opposition from Churchill Downs Incorporated and other bodies in the horse racing industry to prediction markets.

DraftKings Pushes Horse Racing into Six New States

The timing of that classroom session in Las Vegas is no coincidence. Across the country, interest in Derby wagering is climbing fast, and DraftKings moved to meet that demand head-on with a significant product rollout days before the race.

DraftKings Racing is now accepting bets in Florida, Louisiana, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Oregon, bringing the company's total horse racing wagering footprint to 32 states. The expansion follows an earlier launch in Delaware, New Mexico, and Rhode Island in March.

What makes this rollout different from a standard product launch is the infrastructure behind it. DraftKings Racing is built directly into the main DraftKings Sportsbook app, meaning users in supported states can move between sports and horse racing betting without switching platforms or funding separate accounts.

The older standalone app, DK Horse, will remain available where it currently operates, but will be phased out state by state as DraftKings Racing takes its place.

To mark the Derby, DraftKings launched a King of the Track promotion offering a $1 million prize pool split among customers who opt in and correctly pick the Derby winner. Payouts will be made in cash rather than bonus bets.

Additional states are expected to receive the product before the end of the year, as DraftKings continues its broader push toward a unified super app combining its sportsbook, casino, lottery and predictions offerings.