All About Kentucky Sports Betting Handle And Revenue

BetKentucky.com is your go-to destination for all things related to Kentucky sports betting, and as such, we’ve developed this guide to explain terms such as handle, revenue and tax collections.

Sports betting began in the Bluegrass State in September 2023. State officials chose a gradual launch, allowing brick-and-mortar sportsbooks to start first on Sept. 7, 2023. Online operators received the green light three weeks later.

As of November 2023, seven of Kentucky’s nine licensed racetracks have licenses to serve as sports wagering operators. That allows them to host sportsbooks at their racing venues and their historical horse racing satellite facilities. Those tracks may also partner with up to three online sports betting operators.

Currently, there are eight licensed online sports betting operators in the state; they often offer Kentucky betting promos. Bet365 and BetMGM have partnered with Sandy’s Racing and Gaming. Caesars Sportsbook is connected to The Red Mile. Circa Sports and DraftKings have partnerships with Cumberland Run. Fanatics is partnered with Oak Grove Racing and Gaming. FanDuel is licensed through Turfway Park, and ESPN BET (Penn Interactive) is connected with Ellis Park.

Brick-and-mortar sportsbooks have opened at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ellis Park in Henderson, Oak Grove and Turfway Park in Florence – all of which operate on the Kambi platform. Caesars has a retail book at The Red Mile in Lexington. DraftKings has sportsbooks at Cumberland Run in Corbin and The Mint Williamsburg, while BetMGM opened one at Sandy’s Racing and Gaming in Ashland.

Through the handle figures released by the administration of Gov. Andy Beshear, the state is following in the path of most other markets that have both online and retail options – that is, the licensed online Kentucky sports betting apps are the preferred choice by most sports bettors in the state.

Kentucky Sports Betting, November vs. October

Kentucky Sports Betting Handle and Revenue: November 2024

Kentucky sports bettors set a new record for wagering in November as the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation reported a handle of $301,740,758 for the month.

That figure tops the old mark of $287,976,434 established in October 2023, the first full month of online sports betting in the Commonwealth. November’s total also beat the October 2024 handle of $274,928,953 by 9.8%.

Bets placed on Kentucky’s sports betting apps accounted for 96.3% of all the money wagered in November, which had five weekends of NFL action. Last month was also the beginning of the college basketball season, with both the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville generating interest thanks to their new coaching hires. The $290,702,678 beat October’s online handle of $265,130,558 by 9.6% and also established a new record. The previous mark was $279,834,932, set in October 2023.

Not only did handles increase, but the sportsbooks also saw revenues go up significantly during November. The $35,879,288 reported by the KHRGC jumped 90.9% from the $18,798,608 the licensees reported in October.

The state’s share, collected through a 14.25% on tax on sportsbook’s online revenue and 9.75% on their retail proceeds, was $5,046,385. That rose 68.9% from the $2,988,346 Kentucky received in October.

DraftKings led all Kentucky sports betting operators in November with a handle of $112,411,892. FanDuel finished second with $100,130,152, followed by bet365 Kentucky sportsbook ($26,133,144), BetMGM ($15,158,488) and Caesars ($14,370,136).

Kentucky Mobile Sports Betting History