On Monday, Circa Sports became the eighth Kentucky sports betting operator to go live, doing so late in the morning in the Bluegrass State. It’s the fifth state for the Las Vegas-based gaming company, joining Colorado, Illinois, Iowa and Nevada.
Circa runs a more traditional Vegas-style sportsbook. Rather than focusing on promotional credits and same-game parlays, it provides more traditional offerings, posted limits and an all-comers approach. Jeff Benson, Circa’s director of operations, noted the Kentucky launch comes as the company closes in on its fifth anniversary.
Benson promised BetKentucky the announcement wasn’t an April Fools’ prank.
“I’m too old for that,” he said.
Circa Sportsbook Kentucky is the last of the original eight applicants approved by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission in August to go online. It obtained its online license through its partnership with Cumberland Downs, a harness track based in Corbin, and The Mint Gaming Hall Cumberland, its historical horse racing parlor in Williamsburg.
Circa 18+ in Kentucky
With its launch, Circa becomes the third Kentucky sportsbook to allow 18-year-olds to wager on sporting events. DraftKings and bet365 Kentucky are the other two that allow adults that age to bet.
Kentucky is one of the few states that has legalized sports wagering to permit 18-year-olds to establish accounts. Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Washington and Wyoming are among the 38 sports betting states with that age limit. The District of Columbia also lets 18-year-olds wager, too.
While some responsible gaming experts have expressed concern about exposing younger adults to sports betting, Kentucky lawmakers cited the state’s horse racing laws that allow 18-year-olds to wager on races. The state’s lottery, like most other lotteries in the U.S., also lets those 18 and older buy tickets and scratch-off games.
Circa’s plans for the state extend beyond its entry into the Kentucky betting apps market. The company also plans to open a brick-and-mortar sportsbook at Kentucky Downs, a thoroughbred track in Franklin on the Tennessee state line. The track is roughly 30 minutes north of Nashville, and the track, which is owned by the primary owners of Cumberland Downs, has invested millions into its facility in recent years to upgrade its HHR gaming floor, build a conference center and open a SpringHill Suites hotel at the track.
Benson said that the retail sportsbook could open as soon as later this summer.
At Least One More Coming
Circa is not likely to be the last operator to launch in Kentucky. Prime Sports, an online sportsbook similar to Circa, has applied for an online license. According to the KHRC database, Prime Sports’ application, which would be connected to Churchill Downs, was listed as pending as of Monday.
Kentucky’s sports betting law allows each of the state’s nine horse tracks to partner with up to three online operators apiece. Eight tracks have been approved to partner with sports betting operators. The exception is Keeneland, a thoroughbred track in Lexington, but it has a partnership with Red Mile, a harness track in the city.
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