Kentucky Sports Betting

In-person and online sports betting are available statewide in Kentucky. Fans 21+ can bet on sports online through licensed Kentucky sports betting apps or in person at approved horse race tracks and gaming facilities.

Continue below for an introduction to the Kentucky online sports betting market, where to bet on sports legally, and answers to frequently asked questions.

Legal Kentucky Betting Sites

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Kentucky Sports Betting Apps

Kentucky law permits licensed race tracks to offer online sports betting in partnership with third-party operators like FanDuel and BetMGM. The following online sportsbooks are licensed in Kentucky:

Kentucky Sports Betting Bonuses

The competitive Kentucky online sports betting market incentivizes sportsbooks to offer attractive welcome bonuses and promotions.

Typical types of Kentucky betting bonuses include deposit match offers, second chance bets, and bonus bets for new users.

Some Kentucky online sportsbooks require new users to enter promo codes to claim welcome bonuses, but most issue bonuses to new users automatically.

Kentucky Sports Betting Promotion Regulations

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 โ€œfull, accurate, concise, transparentโ€ 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 may not describe any bonuses as โ€œfreeโ€ or โ€œrisk-freeโ€ 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 offerโ€™s terms.

Additionally, legal Kentucky online sportsbooks must retain records of all betting promotions they offer and issue to customers.

The best Kentucky sportsbooks have no issues adhering to these rules.

Kentucky Sports Betting Locations

Kentucky sports betting law allows horse race tracks and gaming facilities to apply for licenses to operate retail sportsbooks.

  • Churchill Downs Race and Sportsbook
  • Derby City Gaming (Poplar Level Road)
  • Derby City Gaming Downtown

  • Caesars Sportsbook at The Red Mile

  • Corbin: DraftKings Sportsbook at The Mint Cumberland Run
  • Florence: Turfway Park Sportsbook
  • Ellis Park/Henderson/Owensboro: Starting Gate Sportsbook
  • Newport: Newport Racing and Gaming Sportsbook
  • Oak Grove: Oak Grove Gaming & Racing Sportsbook
  • Williamsburg: The Mint Gaming Hall Cumberland Sportsbook
  • Ashland: BetMGM Sportsbook at Sandy’s Gaming and Racing
  • Franklin: Circa Sportsbook at Kentucky Downs
  • Bowling Green: The Mint Gaming Hall

Kentucky Sports Betting Law

The Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation (KHRGC) regulates sports betting in Kentucky and ensures licensed operators comply with various consumer protection regulations and responsible gambling rules.

Hereโ€™s what bettors need to know:

  • All major online sportsbook brands are licensed in Kentucky
  • License horse racing tracks and gaming venues may offer in-person wagering
  • The minimum Kentucky sports betting age is 21 (minimum age raised from 18 to 21 in 2026)
  • Licensed Kentucky sports betting apps may offer wagers on professional, collegiate, Olympic, amateur, and esports events
  • State law prohibits negative prop bets on college athletes who play for teams based in Kentucky (e.g., you canโ€™t bet on an athlete failing to reach his projected points total)

Kentucky Sports Betting Timeline

  • September 2017: Kentucky lawmakers begin filing sports betting proposals in anticipation of a possible change to federal law.
  • May 2018: The Supreme Court strikes down PASPA to end the federal sports betting prohibition.
  • 2018-2022: Kentucky lawmakers file multiple sports betting bills, including proposals that would have authorized online sports betting, retail sportsbooks, fantasy sports, and online poker. None become law.
  • March 2023: Kentucky lawmakers pass HB 551 to authorize online sports betting and retail sportsbooks through licensed horse race tracks and gaming facilities.
  • September 2023: The first Kentucky online sports betting apps and retail sportsbooks launch.
  • July 2024: The Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation assumes the former Kentucky Horse Racing Commissionโ€™s regulatory responsibilities.
  • April 2026: HB 904 becomes law after lawmakers override the governorโ€™s veto. The law raises the sports betting age to 21, restricts negative player props involving Kentucky college athletes, and creates a licensing framework for fantasy contest providers.

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All of the nation’s most popular DFS apps accept customers from Kentucky, and legislation passed in 2026 established a regulatory framework for operators. Under state law, players must be 18+ to participate in DFS contests, and licensed operators must conform to various consumer protection regulations designed to safeguard customers’ funds, protect the integrity of sports, and encourage responsible play.

See our guide to fantasy sports in Kentucky for more information and recommendations:

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Prediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket are available in Kentucky for adults 18 and above, but lawmakers have passed legislation that may restrict access to some brands.

Kentuckyโ€™s wide-ranging 2026 gaming law included language banning licensed sportsbook and DFS operators from participating in or contracting with prediction market platforms that serve customers in Kentucky. The law does not outright ban prediction markets in Kentucky, but it does wade into the larger, nationwide debate about whether states have any regulatory authority over prediction markets or if the federal government has exclusive jurisdictional over them.

Separate legislation (HB 757) approved in 2026 instituted a 14.25% excise tax on prediction market transaction fees. Similarly, the prediction market tax bill raises questions about the state’s authority to tax federally regulated platforms.

Kentucky Horse Racing Betting

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Horse racing betting is legal in Kentucky.

Kentucky has a long and rich horse racing tradition, and the Bluegrass State houses some of the best horse racing in the world. Additionally, Kentucky was among the first handful of states in the US to legalize fixed-odds horse racing wagering.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) oversees parimutuel wagering and horse racing across the state.

Multiple race tracks operate throughout Kentucky and the state hosts major events such as the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, Clark Handicap, and Blue Grass Stakes.

Visitors to any of the stateโ€™s licensed race tracks may place wagers in-person or bet online through any of the several horse racing betting sites that are licensed in Kentucky.

Kentucky Online Gambling

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Kentucky has flirted with legalizing online poker sites, but legal online casinos still appear to be a long way off.

Unfortunately for gamblers, sweepstakes casinos are no longer a viable alternative because most operators have exited the Kentucky market amid enforcement threats from local regulators.

Kentucky Online Lottery

The Kentucky Online Lottery launched for state residents 18 and older with a valid KY address in April 2016.

Kentucky Lottery CEO Arch Gleason explained the rationale behind the decision in simple terms:

โ€œOur 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. Weโ€™re delivering what they want.โ€

Kentucky has significantly expanded its public funding for problem gambling assistance since legalizing online sports betting. Today, Kentucky provides numerous resources for anyone with problem gambling questions or concerns:

Kentucky Sports Betting Self-Exclusion

Kentuckyโ€™s online sports betting law mandated that the state operate a statewide self-exclusion list.

  • Statewide Sports Betting Self-Exclusion: Every licensed Kentucky sportsbook must offer self-exclusion options. Operators submit their self-exclusion lists to the state, which compiles a master list to ensure anyone who excludes from one app is blocked from all others. Bettors can submit a self-exclusion request through any licensed sports betting app or website.
  • Kentucky Lottery Self-Exclusion: Players can deactivate their “Fun Club” accounts online to stop access to online lottery games and second-chance promotions.

Kentucky Sports Betting FAQ

Yes. Retail sportsbooks at licensed race tracks and online betting sites are legal and regulated in Kentucky.

In 2026, Kentucky lawmakers approved legislation raising the minimum sports betting age from 18 to 21.

Yes, college sports betting is legal in Kentucky. However, licensed sportsbooks may not offer negative prop bets on college athletes who compete for schools based in Kentucky.

Yes, esports betting is legal in Kentucky.

Kentucky sports betting laws authorized sportsbooks to accept wagers on approved esports competitions. KRS 230.808(1)(e) states licensed Kentucky betting sites may accept wagers on “electronic sports, e-sports, and competitive video game events.”

However, sportsbooks may only offer wagers on esports events sanctioned by an approved governing body and authorized by the Kentucky Racing Commission (KRC).