Kentucky Sports Betting
Legal online sports betting has arrived in Kentucky. The first Kentucky sports betting sites opened on September 28th, 2023 and are now accepting wagers from customers located anywhere within state lines.
Most Kentucky race tracks have also opened retail sportsbooks on their premises in partnership with brand name operators like DraftKings and BetMGM.
Continue below for updates, information about the best Kentucky online sports betting sites, mobile wagering rules, and answers to frequently asked questions. Consider this your complete guide to Kentucky sportsbooks, mobile betting apps, and state laws.
Legal Kentucky Betting Sites
21+ and present in KY. T&Cs Apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Kentucky Sports Betting Overview
Legislation approved in March 2023 authorized sports betting in Kentucky via three avenues:
- Online sports betting
- Retail sportsbooks at race tracks
- Sportsbooks at off-track betting facilities (OTBs)
The Kentucky sports betting industry kicked off in September 2023, beginning with retail sportsbooks at race tracks. Online sports betting began two weeks later.
With more than three dozen licensing slots and a reasonable tax rate, the Kentucky online sports betting market favors the consumer due to competition among providers in terms of pricing, betting bonuses, and overall customer experience.
Here are the main things bettors need to know about sports betting in Kentucky:
- Kentucky fans can bet on sports online through licensed betting sites and in-person at retail sportsbooks
- Fans must be 18 or older to bet on sports in Kentucky
- Some sportsbooks enforce a minimum age of 21 to participate
- Licensed Kentucky sportsbooks may offer wagers on professional, collegiate, Olympic, amateur, and esports events
- State law does not prohibit wagers on local college teams
Kentucky Sports Betting Apps
Online sportsbook operators may offer sports betting in Kentucky through partnerships with local race tracks. Each race track may partner with third party sports betting operators to launch up to three online sportsbooks, which leaves plenty of room for the nation’s most high-profile brands to enter the Kentucky market.
Multiple Kentucky betting apps launched simultaneously on day one, but bettors can expect more to come. Below are overviews of online sportsbooks that are either already open or have confirmed imminent plans to launch in Kentucky.
Kentucky Sportsbook Promo Codes
The Kentucky online sports betting market incentivizes sportsbooks to offer attractive welcome bonuses and promotions because customers have no lack of options and can take their business elsewhere with very little effort.
Typical types of Kentucky betting bonuses include deposit match offers, second chance bets, bonus bets, and bet credits for new users. Some Kentucky online sportsbooks require new users to enter promo codes to claim welcome bonuses, while others issue bonuses to new users automatically.
The following table provides the latest Kentucky betting promo codes (if required), what each sportsbook bonus entails, and a link to claim the described offer today. Bettors can see BettingUSA’s online sportsbook reviews for more details about each betting site’s welcome bonus.
As Kentucky betting sites announce new promotions, BettingUSA will update this page with the key details and latest sportsbook promo codes.
Online Sportsbook | Promo Code | Welcome Bonus |
---|---|---|
Bet365 Kentucky Bonus Code | Not Needed | Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets |
DraftKings Kentucky Promo Code | Not Needed | No Sweat Bet up to $1,000 |
BetMGM Kentucky Bonus Code | BUSABONUS | Bet $5, Get $150 |
FanDuel Kentucky Promo Code | Not Needed | Bet $5 Get $150 |
Caesars Sportsbook Kentucky Promo Code | BUSAGET | Bet $50, Get $250 |
Kentucky Sports Betting Bonuses
State law requires online sportsbooks in Kentucky to describe bonuses thoroughly and in clear terms. 809 KAR 10:002 requires operators to ensure all promotional terms are “full, accurate, concise, transparent” and do not contain misleading information. Specifically, Kentucky betting sites must unambiguously disclose the following promotional terms of every bonus:
- When the betting promotion begins and expires
- Rules of participation
- The nature and value of all bonuses and prizes
- Any eligibility restrictions or limitations
- Any betting restrictions or limitations
- Any bonus wagering requirements
- The order of funds used when placing wagers with active bonuses
- How the sportsbook notifies customers who receive bonuses and prizes
- All cancellation and opt-out terms
Kentucky sports betting apps and websites may not describe any bonuses as “free” or “risk-free” if they require customers to incur any loss or risk to use or withdraw the winnings from any bonus bet. Similarly, licensed sportsbooks may not limit the winnings customers can earn from promotions once they have met all of the offer’s terms. The best Kentucky sportsbooks have no issues adhering to these rules because that’s how they run their businesses by default.
Additionally, legal Kentucky online sportsbooks must retain records of all betting promotions they offer and issue to customers.
How to Bet Online in Kentucky
Bettors will find it easy to sign up for Kentucky sports betting online. In all, bettors can expect to spend about five minutes signing up and logging in for the first time.
The only potential sticking point is identifying licensed Kentucky sportsbooks online because there is a lot of conflicting information out there. However, bettors can safely choose any betting site on this page because BettingUSA lists licensed operators exclusively.
Here’s how to get started:
- Visit the online sportsbook of your choice by following any link on this page
- On the sportsbook’s website, select “join now” or “sign up” to initiate the registration process
- Complete the registration form by providing your name, address, etc.
- Log in to your new account and deposit money by selecting the “Deposit” menu item, choosing a deposit method, and following the onscreen instructions to complete the transfer
It’s important to use real information when registering because federal and state KYC laws require operators to verify all customers’ identities before allowing them to deposit or withdraw.
Specifically, 809 KAR 10:004E requires licensed betting sites in Kentucky to collect and verify the following information from all new users to prevent minors, prohibited participants (like referees), and anyone on the self-exclusion list from betting online:
- Full legal name
- Date of birth
- At least the last four digits of the bettor’s social security number
Immediately after bettors complete the registration form, their sportsbooks invite them to log in for the first time. At most Kentucky sports betting sites, customers log in with the e-mail address and password they provided when signing up.
While bettors are logging in for the first time, their sportsbooks conduct identity verification by crosschecking their personal details against public and private databases. If there’s a problem verifying a new user’s identity, the sportsbook will ask them for more information.
After logging in, bettors can visit the account area to deposit or look for links on the sportsbook’s website to download the official mobile app for iOS or Android.
Depositing at Kentucky Sportsbooks
Bettors can fund their Kentucky sports betting accounts online through banking methods approved by the KHRC. According to KHRC regulations, online sportsbooks may offer the following deposit options to customers:
- In-person cash deposits
- Cash equivalents converted to cash
- Credit cards
- Debit cards
- Electronic banking
- Promotional and bonus credits
Additionally, state law prohibits operators from allowing customers to go negative by accepting wagers that exceed their current account balances. Licensed Kentucky sports betting sites must also take reasonable steps to prevent customers from placing wagers on behalf of others.
Kentucky Sportsbook Locations
Kentucky sports betting law allows horse race tracks and off-track betting facilities (OTBs) to apply for licenses to operate retail sportsbooks. Although Kentucky no longer has any standalone OTBs, the option to offer sports wagering may encourage their return.
Most Kentucky sportsbook locations began taking wagers on September 7th, 2023. Two other facilities still under construction have also received Kentucky sports betting licenses. The KHRC believes all eligible facilities will open retail sportsbooks in Kentucky eventually.
Licensed Retail Sportsbooks in Kentucky
- Corbin: The Mint Cumberland Run Sportsbook
- Florence: Turfway Park Sportsbook
- Henderson: Ellis Park Sportsbook
- Lexington: Caesars Sportsbook at The Red Mile
- Louisville: Churchill Downs Sportsbook
- Louisville: Derby City Gaming Sportsbook
- Newport: Newport Racing and Gaming Sportsbook
- Oak Grove: Oak Grove Gaming & Racing Sportsbook
- Williamsburg: The Mint Gaming Hall Cumberland Sportsbook
- Downtown Louisville: Derby City Gaming Sportsbook
- (Coming soon) Ashland: BetMGM Sportsbook at Sandy’s Gaming and Racing
- (Coming soon) Owensboro: Ellis Park Sportsbook
Additional Eligible Kentucky Sportsbook Locations:
- Bowling Green: The Mint Gaming Hall
- Franklin: Kentucky Downs
- Lexington: Keeneland
Kentucky Sports Betting Law
Kentucky legalized sports betting in March 2023 via HB 551. The law places the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) in charge of regulating sports betting, issuing licenses, and promulgating any additional regulations necessary to execute the law.
Under the law, Kentucky’s nine horse racing tracks may apply to the KHRC for licenses to offer in-person and online sports betting. Each racetrack may open a retail sportsbook and partner with third-party providers to launch up to three online sports betting platforms apiece.
Off-track betting facilities (OTBs) may also offer sports betting through agreements with licensed race tracks using the race tracks’ partner providers.
Key Points from Kentucky Sports Betting Law
- The Commission may issue up to 27 online sports betting licenses
- Licensed race tracks and OTBs may operate retail sportsbooks
- Licensed Kentucky sportsbooks may accept wagers from customers 18 and older
- Licensed sportsbooks may offer wagering on professional sports, collegiate sports, the Olympics, esports, and amateur events in which the majority of participants are at least 18 years of age
- Racetracks pay an initial sports betting licensing fee of $500,000; $50,000 annual renewal fee
- Sports betting service providers pay an application fee of $50,000; $10,000 annual renewal fee
- Retail sportsbooks pay a 9.75% tax on revenue
- Online sportsbooks pay a 14.25% tax on revenue
- 2.5% of Kentucky sports betting tax revenue is earmarked to support problem gambling initiatives
Regulations adopted by the KHRC provide detailed requirements for conducting sports betting in Kentucky safely, responsibly, and fairly.
Kentucky’s sports betting regulations emphasize consumer protection, which begins with the licensing criteria the KHRC considers when approving/denying applicants.
The KHRC subjects all Kentucky online sportsbooks to an intensive vetting process to determine if they:
- Are qualified and financially capable of offering sports betting
- Are capable of protecting customers from fraud and theft
- Will conduct sports betting in a manner that protects the public interest
A Note About the Kentucky Sports Betting Age Requirement
Kentucky is one of a handful of states where the minimum age to bet on sports is 18, not 21. Even so, many online sportsbooks implement a blanket policy of only accepting customers 21 or older regardless of local laws.
Below is a list of Kentucky betting sites that have confirmed whether their minimum age to bet online is 18 or 21. As more information emerges, BettingUSA will update this page to provide a complete list of every sportsbook’s minimum age for Kentucky residents.
- DraftKings Kentucky: 18+
- Bet365 Kentucky: 18+
- BetMGM Kentucky: 21+
- FanDuel Kentucky: 21+
- Caesars Sportsbook Kentucky: 21+
- Circa Sports Kentucky: 18+
- Fanatics Sportsbook Kentucky: 21+
- ESPN Bet Kentucky: 21+
Past Kentucky Sports Betting Efforts
Shortly after the Supreme Court overturned PASPA, Kentucky formed a bipartisan panel of six representatives and three senators to study legalization and craft sports betting legislation.
Lawmakers filed numerous pieces of legislation after the SCOTUS decision to legalize sports betting in Kentucky. All early efforts to legalize Kentucky sports betting apps and retail sportsbooks were unsuccessful but demonstrated a clear desire among lawmakers to take advantage of the opportunity.
The outlook for legalization improved in 2020 when Governor Andy Beshear urged lawmakers to “be bold” and pass a bill to legalize sports betting.
It took nearly three years for lawmakers to send a sports betting bill to Governor Beshear, but they got it done in March 2023. He signed the bill shortly after receiving it to finally legalize sports betting in Kentucky.
Kentucky Daily Fantasy Sports
The major fantasy sports sites operate in Kentucky due to the prevailing interpretation of Kentucky gambling law being favorable to DFS. The next step for Kentucky fantasy sites is to achieve firm legal clarity with the passage of DFS legislation.
Lawmakers attempted to do exactly that with HB 414 introduced in February of 2017. That bill made it to a full house vote and received a favorable vote of 37-36 but came up short of the 40 votes required to send that bill to the Senate.
If successful, HB 414 would have been an excellent bill for the daily fantasy industry. It sought initial licensing and annual renewal fees of just $5,000 and established a tax rate of 6%. Furthermore, if the tax bill for the year came out to more than $5,000, the initial registration or annual renewal fee could be used to offset taxes due for the year.
HB 414 and subsequent bills attached to sports betting legislation have all failed to make it through the legislative process to become law. The lack of success today seems to come down more to legal wrangling over sports betting and other provisions to which recent DFS efforts have been attached. In any case, the country’s most well-known fantasy sites operate as normal in Kentucky today.
Kentucky Horse Racing Betting
Kentucky, home of Churchill Downs and the famed Kentucky Derby, has a long and rich horse racing tradition that runs strong to this day.
Whether it is the climate and geography that makes for naturally strong horses as some claim or a tradition born of necessity at a time when parimutuel wagering was stifled elsewhere that makes Kentucky a horse racing bastion as others claim, the fact is the Bluegrass State houses some of the best horse racing in the world.
Today, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) oversees parimutuel wagering and horse racing across the state. Multiple race tracks operate throughout Kentucky and the state houses major events such as the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, Clark Handicap, and Blue Grass Stakes.
Visitors to any of the state’s licensed race tracks may place wagers in-person while everyone else can bet online through any of the several horse racing betting sites that are licensed to do business in Kentucky.
Kentucky Online Gambling
Kentucky has flirted with legalizing online poker, but legal online casinos still appear to be a long way off. Bills introduced in 2019, 2020, and 2022 noted primarily for authorizing mobile sports betting also included provisions to legalize online poker for customers 18 or older and located within state lines.
Key provisions found in the latest Kentucky online poker bill included:
- Minimum age of 18 to play online
- $250,000 licensing fee for operators
- $10,000 annual renewal fee
- 6.75% tax on poker revenue
Recent poker bills have failed to pass, but lawmakers appear intent on pushing the issue until something gets through, likely by attaching online poker to a sports betting bill.
The recent about-face regarding online poker may come as a surprise for players who remember when Kentucky seized the domains of 141 offshore poker and gambling websites. Although most states do not permit online gambling, Kentucky was a frontrunner when it came to cracking down on offshore operators.
More recently, state lawmakers are interested in legalizing, regulating and taxing online poker than in banning the activity altogether. However, pro-online poker proponents in Kentucky still face significant opposition from anti-gambling groups that lobby against legalization.
Kentucky Online Lottery
The Kentucky Lottery took its games online in April 2016 with little fanfare to keep up with the times. Kentucky Lottery CEO Arch Gleason explained the rationale behind the decision in simple terms:
“Our customers are aging, and in order to maintain our business, we need to be more attractive to a younger demographic who are accustomed to conducting a majority of their retail purchases online. This group is very mobile, and they expect brands to be accessible online and on their devices. We’re delivering what they want.”
Initially, the Kentucky Online Lottery launched with five instant play scratch-off games and access to the most popular draw games. Over time, the website added additional instant win games plus access to Powerball, Mega Millions, Keno, Cash Ball 225 and Lucky for Life.
State residents 18 and older with a valid KY address can play online by visiting the official Kentucky Lottery website at play.kylottery.com. From there, you can register for an account and then fund your online wallet via credit card, debit card or by visiting an authorized lottery retailer to purchase iGifts or iFunds.
Purchasing entries to draw games online is as simple as buying them in person. Once you have a funded online lottery account, you can log in from any device, choose your numbers and specify a number of entries to purchase.
The Kentucky Lottery’s instant win games work similarly to scratch cards that are sold across the state. Online scratch cards can be purchased for prices ranging from $0.50 to $10 and can pay as much as $150,000.
Kentucky Gambling Laws
Kentucky’s general gaming laws are covered by KY Rev Stat § 528.010-0.120 and prohibit most forms of gambling that are not expressly authorized by the state. In Kentucky, gambling is defined as follows:
…staking or risking something of value upon the outcome of a contest, game, gaming scheme, or gaming device which is based upon an element of chance, in accord with an agreement or understanding that someone will receive something of value in the event of a certain outcome…
Kentucky gambling law does not appear to target those who merely participate in unauthorized gambling, but the state does aggressively pursue those who organize illegal gambling games.
The crime of “promoting gambling” constitutes a chargeable offense under Kentucky law and the penalty depends on the amount of money involved.
Those who organize home poker games, act as bookmakers or otherwise profit from gambling activity can be charged for promoting gambling in the second degree, which is considered a Class A misdemeanor. If the unauthorized gambling activity takes in more than $500 in any one day, the offense is treated as a Class D felony.
State law does provide an exception for social gambling games, however, as long as all players compete on equal footing and the organizer does not earn a profit by indirect means such as charging an entry fee or selling food and drinks.