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27, and tax revenue and operator profits were off and running. Online sports betting went live at 6 a.m. 7 with Beshear placing the first legal sports bet in Kentucky history. Retail sportsbooks launched at nine different locations on Sept. As Caesars became the first sportsbook to partner with a horse racing track and others followed, the KHRC approved rules and took operator applications.Įventually, seven initial sportsbooks were approved: FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, bet365, Caesars, Circa, and PENN Entertainment. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC), which has plenty of experience in the wagering industry, was put in charge of governing sports betting. “Kentuckians will soon be able to place their bets here, and for the first time, we are going to keep those dollars to support our roads and bridges, schools and communities.” Going live “After years of urging lawmakers to legalize sports betting, we finally did it!” Beshear posted on social media.

jurisdiction to add sports betting, intending to launch late in the year or early 2024. A day later, Beshear signed the bill into law, making Kentucky the 37th U.S. After expectedly clearing the House, the Senate passed the bill on March 30 by a vote of 25-11. How Kentucky got hereĪfter the Kentucky Senate failed to pass a sports betting bill on the final legislative day of 2022, lawmakers made another run in early 2023, introducing House Bill 551 in February. Andy Beshear made getting sports betting legal part of his financial boom agenda for the Bluegrass State in 2023. In a state that’s been synonymous with horse racing for decades, it was only a matter of time. It completed a process that began in 2020 when Kentucky legislators introduced the first sports betting bill. Not only did Kentucky lawmakers pass a bill to legalize sports betting in March, but state regulators put in the necessary parameters to launch online and retail sportsbooks by September to take advantage of the heavily wagered football season. The Bluegrass State made it all happen in 2023.

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