With one week to go before the first sports bets can be placed in Kentucky, state officials have rolled out the initial markets available at licensed sports books. The Kentucky Sports Wagering Advisory Council held its first meeting Thursday and recommended a three-page list of sporting leagues and events to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission for approval. The KHRC published that list early Thursday afternoon on its website.
It includes traditional sports betting fare, such as Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Football League, the latter of which kicks off its regular season next Thursday. Kentucky officials deliberately timed the opening of brick-and-mortar sportsbooks with the start of the NFL campaign. Major NCAA sports, including football, basketball, baseball, softball and ice hockey, also will be available. Kentucky sports betting law allows for betting on games involving in-state teams and contests happening in the state.
More Events Expected To Be Added
While the catalog also includes other sports and events, such as the American Cornhole League, Major League Eating, snooker and darts, Kentucky officials chose not to include such events as the Academy Awards, which is available for wagering in Indiana and other states. There were other additions and omissions that seemed interesting. For example, the Kentucky sports betting catalog allows wagering on AAA baseball, the minor league level at which the Louisville Bats play. It also allows wagering on LIV Golf tournaments, a league not approved in all other legal sports betting markets.
However, the catalog does not include Formula 1 auto racing, Major League Soccer, United Soccer League divisions or the National Women’s Soccer League. Louisville has teams in the USL Championship and NWSL, while Lexington has a USL League One franchise. KHRC Director of Sports Wagering Hans Stokke told the council that staffers reviewed catalogs from several other states when determining its list. He also said the list will continue to grow as licensed operators make requests.
“For our initial offering, we chose those for sporting events that were governed by a governing body that we felt comfortable with the research that we’ve done,” he said. Additions to the catalog could be made at any time by the KHRC. Jamie Eads, the commission’s executive director, can approve events on an interim basis if the full commission is unavailable to meet beforehand. That means additional markets could become available when mobile sports betting starts in Kentucky on Sept. 28. BetKentucky.com will have the latest Kentucky sports betting promo codes for you to use so check back with us often.
Where You Can Wager
Last week, the KHRC approved seven of the state’s nine racetracks for sports betting licenses. Those tracks and their satellite facilities will be able to open sportsbooks as soon as Sept. 7 if they are open. Those tracks and satellites are Churchill Downs and Derby City Gaming in Louisville; Red Mile in Lexington; Turfway Park in Florence and Newport Racing and Gaming in Northern Kentucky; Sandy’s Racing and Gaming in Ashland; Cumberland Run in Corbin and The Mint Williamsburg; Oak Grove Racing and Gaming in Western Kentucky; and Ellis Park in Henderson.
Caesars will operate the sportsbook for Red Mile, and DraftKings sportsbook Kentucky will run retail operations for Cumberland Run and The Mint. BetMGM will be the sportsbook operator at Sandy’s, while Churchill Downs will have platform provider Kambi powering its retail books. Eight operators have also been approved for online wagering. The Kentucky sportsbook apps are Bet365, BetMGM Kentucky sportsbook, Caesars, Circa Sportsbook, DraftKings, Fanatics, FanDuel and Penn Interactive.
