Last Updated: 10 February, 2025
One of the biggest betting events every year takes place in Kentucky, yet it took until 2023 for the state to legalize sports betting. Long known as a horse racing state, KY now has seven mobile sports betting operators and retail wagering options.
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Is online sports betting legal in Kentucky? | Yes |
Is in-person sports betting legal? | Yes |
Is daily fantasy sports legal? | Yes |
Is betting on college sports legal? | Yes |
Is horse racing betting legal? | Yes (online & in-person) |
Is greyhound betting legal? | No |
Is political betting legal? | No |
Is eSports betting legal? | Yes |
Horse racing has been a staple in Kentucky since the 1800s when Churchill Downs opened, so residents have long been able to wager on horse and greyhound races. With sports betting legal, bettors can also wager on professional and collegiate sports, including in-state colleges, so residents can bet on their beloved Kentucky Wildcats.
Daily fantasy sports apps are also available in KY for those looking for a sports betting alternative, but it is important to note that they are unregulated. The only thing still not available for customers to bet on is politics, which is common among states with legal gambling.
A discussion around sports betting and its legalization has been circulating in Kentucky since 2017. Before PASPA was overturned, the Bluegrass State had a sports betting bill circulate, but it wasn’t until 2018 that the state would create a panel to form another bill. Plenty of sports betting bills died during legislative sessions in Kentucky from 2017 to 2023.
The only one to survive was HB 551, created by Michael Meredith and passed on a 25-12 vote in the Senate. After the bill went into effect in June, it only took a little over two months before the first retail bet was placed at Churchill Downs. Online sports betting would go live later in the month, putting the sports betting market right into the hands of Kentucky residents.
With all nine racetracks receiving licenses, there could technically be 27 mobile operators in the state, but for now, there are just eight. Circa Sportsbook was the most recent operator approved for a license, and they officially went live in KY on May 14, 2024.
Outside of Circa, bettors in Kentucky can still access some of the most prominent names on the market, including Bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Caesars. With sports betting still in its infancy in KY, there is a good chance we see more operators enter the market within the coming years, especially since plenty of online licenses are still available.
Not only will we likely see more mobile betting apps enter the state, but more retail betting facilities will also join the market. Most recently, Sandy’s Gaming and Racing partnered with an online betting app, giving them access to the sports betting market.
Sportsbook app | Launch date |
---|---|
Circa Sports | May 14, 2024 |
ESPN Bet | November 14, 2023 |
Bet365 | September 28, 2023 |
BetMGM | September 28, 2023 |
Caesars Sportsbook | September 28, 2023 |
DraftKings | September 28, 2023 |
Fanatics Sportsbook | September 28, 2023 |
FanDuel | September 28, 2023 |
The legal gambling age in Kentucky is 18. However, most sportsbook operators still require bettors to be at least 21 years old. The state has long had a legal gambling age of 18, which is the required age to bet on horse races and do anything lottery-related, but operators have the choice to enforce a minimum gambling age of 21.
Currently, four mobile operators have their legal age set at 21, while three operators, including DraftKings, are keeping it at 18. While all mobile sportsbook operators are partnered with racetracks all over the state, residents do not need to be on location to create an account, as remote registration is fully available in KY.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission enforces all of the aforementioned rules and regulations. Outside of those regulations, one of the biggest things for Kentucky bettors to be aware of is the tax rate, which is currently set at 6% of all winnings.
Gambling legislation could possibly still be discussed in the state moving forward since daily fantasy apps remain unregulated despite some of the big-name operators in that market still offering services in KY. Online casinos and online poker also remain illegal in the state, and it’s unclear how long that will remain the case.
Are online casinos legal in Kentucky? | No |
Are retail casinos legal? | No |
Are social sportsbooks legal? | Yes |
Are sweepstakes/social casinos legal? | Yes, social & sweepstakes casinos are legal |
Is online poker legal? | No |
Is the lottery legal? | Yes |
The launch date of sports betting in Kentucky? | Online: September 28, 2023 (Retail: Sept. 7, 2023.) |
How many legal sports betting apps are there in KY? | 8 |
How many legal retail betting sites are there in KY? | +10 |
Is remote registration allowed? | Yes |
Legal age for sports betting in Kentucky? | 18+ |
Kentucky's tax rate for betting/gambling winnings | 6% |
Who regulates sports betting in Kentucky? | Kentucky Horse Racing Commission |
February 3, 2025: After losing to John Calipari in his return, the Kentucky Wildcats are still (+650) to reach the Final Four, which is the 8th best odds in the country.
January 30, 2025: Following their strong start to SEC conference play, the Kentucky Wildcats are (+900) on DraftKings to be a #1 seed in the SEC Tournament.
January 24, 2025: Following a College World Series appearance last season, the Kentucky Wildcats are (+2500) to win the College World Series in 2025.
January 14, 2025: With a 12-5 record heading into the middle of January, the Louisville Cardinals are currently (-300) to make the NCAA Tournament.
January 7, 2025: After their win over Florida, the Kentucky Wildcats are (+1100) to win the SEC regular season title and (+450) to make the Final Four.
December 3, 2024: In their first season with Mark Pope at the helm, the Kentucky Wildcats are 7-0 heading into their matchup with Clemson. The Wildcats are (-1.5) point road favorites.
November 25, 2024: The Kentucky Wildcats will start freshman Cutter Boley at quarterback in their regular season finale against Louisville. The Wildcats are currently (+3.5) point home underdogs.
November 18, 2024: Legendz goes live in Kentucky and 42 other states, offering the highest RTP in the social casino and sportsbook space. Open to 18+, it features free play, daily rewards, props, parlays, and real prize opportunities across multiple sports.
Most states that have legalized sports betting have had online operators partner with casinos, but in Kentucky, they use their racetracks as retail locations to partner with. There are nine racetracks across KY, most of which have incredibly rich histories. All nine of these tracks received their sports betting licenses once HB 551 was passed, but their gambling experience was already well established.
Since the state sports betting bill is still fresh, the retail sportsbook aspect of most of these racetracks is still being developed.
Race tracks / Racinos | Location |
---|---|
Sandy’s Racing and Gaming | 10775 US-60, Ashland |
Red Mile Racetrack | 1200 Red Mile Rd, Lexington |
Cumberland Run (Lexington) | 128 East Reynolds Rd. Lexington |
Cumberland Run (Corbin) | 777 Winners Lane, Corbin |
Cumberland Run (Williamsburg) | 244 Penny Ln, Williamsburg |
Churchill Downs | 700 Central Ave, Louisville |
Turfway Park | 7500 Turfway Rd, Florence |
Derby City Gaming | 4520 Poplar Level Road, Louisville |
Derby City Gaming Downtown | 401 W Market Street, Louisville |
Oak Grove | 777 Winners Way, Oak Grove |
Ellis Park Race Track | 3300 US Highway 41 N, Henderson |
Newport Racing & Gaming | 1723 Monmouth St, Newport |
By legalizing sports betting, Kentucky joined a growing region of surrounding states that offer their residents at least some form of sports wagering. Prior to their bill being passed, KY residents could have traveled close by to Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, and Illinois to place a legal sports wager.
The number of sportsbooks available in each state, along with the exact regulations, varies, so in order to find out more about these surrounding states, you can click on them in the chart below.
State | Online sports betting | Retail sports betting | DFS | Horse Race betting |
---|---|---|---|---|
Illinois | Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal |
Indiana | Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal |
Missouri | Illegal | Legal | Legal | Illegal |
Ohio | Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal |
Tennessee | Legal | Illegal | Legal | Legal |
Virginia | Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal |
West Virginia | Legal | Legal | Legal | Legal |
Sports betting legislation is still very fresh in the Bluegrass State, so we don't have a complete picture of what their numbers will look like on a consistent basis. However, the over $2.6 billion worth of bets placed, close to $300 million in sportsbook revenue, and over $39 million in tax income from the first full year (2024) of legal sports betting create a nice baseline for future growth for the whole KY market.
The licensing fee for operators in the state is still unknown, but the state's tax rate varies depending on whether the business is an online operator or retail. All online operators have a tax rate of 14.25%, while retail has a 9.75% tax rate on revenue.
When new states open their doors to legal sports betting, they typically see continual monthly growth in numbers until they hit a plateau. Since more operators are still joining the market, Kentucky’s earning potential is still unknown, but there is undoubtedly a lot of potential already shining through.
Kentucky sports betting record months:
Sports betting handle: November 2024 ($301,740,758)
Revenue: October 2023 ($54,341,931)
Tax income: October 2023 ($7,616,625)
Total betting handle: $293,022,540
Online betting handle: $285,476,298
Retail betting handle: $7,546,242
Total winnings paid to players: $272,777,034
Hold: 6.91%
Online winnings: $265,178,988
Retail winnings: $7,598,046
Gross revenue: $20,245,506
Total adjusted (taxable) revenue: $19,533,128
Online sportsbooks' adjusted revenue: $19,603,146
Retail adjusted revenue: -$70,018
Total tax revenue for the state: $2,916,545
Tax income from online wagering: $2,911,258
Tax income from retail betting: $5,287
Reported by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.
DraftKings: Handle: $111.7m, Adjusted revenue: $8.4m
FanDuel: Handle: $95.4m, Revenue: $8.9m
Bet365: Handle: $23.9m, Revenue: $933,715
BetMGM: Handle: $14.6m, Revenue: $601,677
Caesars: Handle: $13.4m, Revenue: $637,152
Fanatics Sportsbook: Handle: $13.0m, Revenue: $812,869
Circa: Handle: $6.8m, Revenue: -$826,732
ESPN Bet: Handle: $6.7m, Revenue: $194,314
Report | Total handle | Online handle | Gross revenue | Taxes |
---|---|---|---|---|
December 2024 | $293,022,540 | $285,476,298 | $20,245,506 | $2,916,545 |
December 2023 | $264,063,644 | $254,904,794 | $32,653,842 | $4,523,276 |
YoY change | Up 10.97% | Up 11.99% | Down 38.00% | Down 35.52% |
You can find a complete and up-to-date breakdown of the 2025 KY sports betting revenue data in the table below. In addition to the exact handle, revenue, and tax income figures, the table also shows the month-over-month percentage (in brackets), indicating how such numbers have changed compared to the previous month.
Month | Handle (MoM) | Revenue (MoM) | Tax income |
---|---|---|---|
Jan. 2025 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
2025 Total YTD | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Month | Handle (MoM) | Revenue (MoM) | Tax income |
---|---|---|---|
Dec. 2024 | $293,022,540 (-2.89%) | $20,245,506 (-44.73%) | $2,916,545 |
Nov. 2024 | $301,740,758 (9.75%) | $36,629,990 (7.45%) | $5,046,385 |
Oct. 2024 | $274,928,953 (7.45%) | $21,140,572 (-38.26%) | $2,988,346 |
Sep. 2024 | $255,863,415 (68.99%) | $34,241,493 (181.97%) | $4,747,316 |
Aug. 2024 | $151,409,422 (17.13%) | $12,143,829 (-21.30%) | $1,666,257 |
Jul. 2024 | $129,270,003 (-14.00%) | $15,431,178 (-2.13%) | $2,134,874 |
Jun. 2024 | $150,313,713 (-17.12%) | $15,766,953 (-27.02%) | $2,169,705 |
May 2024 | $181,351,571 (-3.19%) | $21,603,056 (-7.03%) | $2,985,052 |
Apr. 2024 | $187,319,033 (-26.90%) | $23,237,278 (5.11%) | $3,223,744 |
Mar. 2024 | $256,246,090 (22.97%) | $22,107,012 (0.66%) | $3,036,739 |
Feb. 2024 | $208,375,602 (-18.95%) | $21,961,415 (-44.05%) | $3,028,968 |
Jan. 2024 | $257,108,230 (-2.63%) | $39,250,214 (20.20%) | $5,365,294 |
2024 Total | $2,646,949,330 | $283,758,496 | $39,309,225 |
Year | Handle (YoY) | Revenue (YoY) | Tax income (YoY) |
---|---|---|---|
2025 YTD | N/A | N/A | N/A |
2024 | $2,646,949,330 (196.62%) | $283,758,496 (153.09%) | $39,309,225 (152.87%) |
2023 | $892,370,163 | $112,118,421 | $15,545,112 |
TOTALS | $3,246,296,953 | $375,631,411 | $51,937,792 |
Currently, sports bettors in Kentucky have access to nine mobile betting apps and eight retail betting facilities. These apps do not include the daily fantasy apps and racebooks that are also legal in the state.
Legal sports betting is still in its infancy in Kentucky. Still, as of February 2025, all legal sportsbooks in the state have gained over $375 million in revenue, which has resulted in a total of more than $51 million of tax income for KY.
The Kentucky Wildcats are one of the most popular teams in the state. Their famous basketball team has been upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament twice since 2022—first to 15-seed St. Peter’s and most recently to Oakland.
The University of Kentucky Wildcats and Louisville Cardinals have the biggest rivalry in the state, no matter what sport they are playing.