Kentucky Sports Betting
If you like horse racing, you are in luck. With iconic Churchill Downs and world-renowned Keeneland, you can bet on anything and everything that goes on at those two horse tracks. Furthermore, off-track betting for tracks from around the world is also available.
If you like betting on sports, you are out of luck. Kentucky, which has embraced wagering in the form of horse racing seemingly since the beginning of time, does not have legal sports betting and doesn’t even have casino gambling. Casino gambling tends to be a prerequisite for sports betting because of the need for a brick-and-mortar structure within which a sportsbook can be constructed. With Churchill Downs and Keeneland, there are opportunities to put a sportsbook in those betting centers.
As of the fall of 2019, Kentucky had not moved far on sports betting. Four legs good. Two legs bad. It is a hot-button issue for the 2019 gubernatorial election, as the Democrat, Andy Beshear, is in favor of the expansion of gambling and the incumbent Republican, Matt Bevin, is not.
That being said, representatives are excited about the chances of Kentucky passing some sort of sports betting legislation in 2020. The irony in all of this is that Churchill Downs Inc. operates two sportsbooks through BetAmerica at Harlow’s Casino & Resort in Greenville, Mississippi and Riverwalk Casino Hotel in Vicksburg, Mississippi. CDI is also involved with Presque Isle in Erie, Pennsylvania and has a partnership with BetAmerica for that sportsbook.
In most states, the pressure of losing revenue to bordering states is eventually going to push sports betting through. That will likely be the case in Kentucky. At least you can get your fill of the action by betting the ponies at places like TVG or BetAmerica.
HOW DO I BET ON SPORTS IN KENTUCKY?
For right now, horse racing is the only sport that you can bet on in Kentucky. Sites like BetAmerica, TVG, and TwinSpires all take mobile and online wagers for horse racing. Otherwise, you’ll have to get your sports betting fix in border states.
Indiana, Illinois, and West Virginia have all legalized sports betting. Indiana and West Virginia already have mobile capabilities up and running and there has been a large handle in Indiana in locations that are close to cities like Louisville, where a short trip into the Hoosier State is all it takes to be able to bet on sports legally. The population in eastern Kentucky is much lower than that of western Kentucky, so there isn’t a huge push to go across the border and bet in West Virginia, but for a city like Ashland, that is an excellent opportunity.
Tennessee is now live with an all-online betting setup. There are no physical gaming locations in Tennessee, but bettors will be able to place their wagers on mobile devices or online. Kentuckians would be able to sign up in the state of Tennessee and then place their bets when geolocation tracking confirms location in the state.
Basically, Kentucky has no choice but to move forward with betting. The potential loss of revenue from four border states with approved sports betting is too much to overlook. Eventually that will be the case for betting in a state like Ohio, which will be surrounded on all sides by states that have betting and even the province of Ontario to the north takes sports wagers.
Residents of Kentucky will have to be patient while discussions continue in the state Senate, but the state House and the governor are already on board, so that means that betting is coming sooner rather than later in the Bluegrass State.
Can I Bet on Sports in Kentucky?
Sports betting is not legal in Kentucky, though horse racing could be considered a sport. However, not all hope is lost for Kentuckians in the beautiful Bluegrass State. Online sports betting is legal in Indiana, residents in and around Louisville, Kentucky have easy access to sports betting. As of October 3, 2019, Indiana was open for mobile sports betting business. BetRivers and DraftKings were the first to take those wagers in concert with Rush Street Interactive.
While sports betting is not legal in Kentucky, daily fantasy has been. That means that a lot of Kentucky residents are familiar with DraftKings. That is good because a simple trip across the border to Indiana will allow them to download the DraftKings app and get all set up to start making online sports bets. Apple users can get the DraftKings app right in the App Store. Android users have to use a roundabout solution by downloading the app from the DraftKings website.
Of course, you can also just bet in a browser on the DraftKings website. The catch in all of this is that you must be located in the state of Indiana to make your bets. You can get all signed up and look at odds and whatnot, but you have to be in Indiana to place bets.
It will be remarkably easy for Louisville residents to slide over the border and get some bets in, especially if you want to bet your beloved Cardinals and fade those darned Kentucky Wildcats. On the other hand, if you live in Lexington, you can head east where mobile betting in West Virginia is available. You can also just go northwest to Indiana and use DraftKings or one of the other apps to bet on UK.
This is actually a really important distinction and something to remember even if Kentucky gets legalized sports betting. In the state of New Jersey, betting on NCAA events being held in the state is not permitted. It’s entirely possible that a provision like that pops up in Kentucky, especially with the state’s reluctance to expand gaming. That could be a compromise at some point. Whether that’s the case or not, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have access to the apps in Indiana and West Virginia. And Ohio, if their legislature ever moves forward.
Kentucky is a state largely known for its college athletics, but the online sportsbooks in Indiana, Ohio, or any of the other states with mobile sports betting, like New Jersey, Iowa, and Pennsylvania, have a full catalog of professional leagues like the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB. Those operators even have Racebooks for betting on the ponies, so you can have a one-stop shop to do it all.
Even though sports betting is not legal in Kentucky, it probably will be within the next couple of years. In the meantime, there are a lot of options, especially for those in the two big cities of Louisville and Lexington to head on over to Indiana and take advantage of an app like DraftKings or some of the brick-and-mortar casinos to dip a toe into the sports betting pool.
Four legs? Okay. Two legs? Not okay.
That has been the modus operandi thus far with regards to sports betting in the state of Kentucky. With two of the most popular horse racing tracks in the world, Churchill Downs and Keeneland, you would think that sports betting legislation would be a breeze in Kentucky. It has been anything but.
US SPORTSBOOKS NEAR KENTUCKY BORDERS
Progress has been slow and bumpy. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission would be given oversight with the most recent bill that is being discussed in the State Senate. Previously, the hold-up was that the governor was not a proponent of expanded gambling in Kentucky. When Andy Beshear won the vote in November, it was assumed that sports betting would have a much smoother road in 2020. To a degree, that is true, particularly because lawmakers are deliberating with the knowledge that any bill sent to Beshear’s desk is going to be approved.
Beshear and other Democrats in the state are fully on board with legalized sports betting. Bills under deliberation at this point in time do allow for college sports wagering, which is going to provide quite a financial windfall for the state during college basketball season with powerhouse programs like Louisville and Kentucky. Kentucky, as we know, does not have any professional sports teams, so NCAA wagering was pretty much a must.
One of the nice things about any legislation in Kentucky is that retail sports books are going to be quite spread out across the race tracks, including heavy population centers like Louisville, with Churchill Downs, and Lexington with Keeneland. It also looks like online poker would be part of the sports betting expansion.
Churchill Downs Inc. already owns and operates several casinos that have betting or will have betting soon, including Presque Isle Downs in Erie, Pennsylvania and Ocean Downs in Maryland. Presque Isle Downs is a BetAmerica Sportsbook, which could give us some sort of indication as to who will run the book at Churchill Downs. BetAmerica’s roots are deep in horse racing, but the operator has moved into sports betting in recent years as well.
It is entirely possible that Kentucky will expand sports betting to include bars and restaurants. Given that the state’s gambling roots are in horse racing, which is legal online across most of the country and legal at off-track betting facilities, Kentucky’s sports betting bill is likely to allow for wagering in a lot of contexts. Retail betting would obviously take place at approved locations, but online betting and mobile wagering are almost a lock as well.
The primary opposition appears to be religious in nature from several Republican Senators, but eventually the additional revenue to be pumped primarily into education is likely to outweigh the social and moral concerns.
In other words, expect sports betting to go live in Kentucky in either 2020 or 2021. The governor is already on board, so it is just a matter of getting through the state legislature. Because of the expanse of horse betting, Kentucky’s state constitution would not need to be amended via a public vote.
HOW TO BET ON SPORTS IN LOUISVILLE – LOUISVILLE SPORTS BETTING
Betting on horses in Louisville is easy. Betting on sports is not. As surrounding states enjoy the tax revenues of legalized sports betting, and others mobilize to be ready for that impending day, the Commonwealth of Kentucky remains on the sidelines. Tennessee is set to go live before the end of 2020 and Indiana has already been up and running for more than a year.
Fortunately, if you live in Louisville, any of the surrounding areas, or even Lexington, and are willing to make a little bit of a drive, you, too, can enjoy legally betting on sports. Louisville sits right on the Ohio River as it winds and bends to form the border between Kentucky and Indiana. All you have to do if you want to bet on sports is go across the river and get inside the border of Indiana.
HOW TO CREATE YOUR SPORTS BETTING ACCOUNT:
- Create A Sportsbook Account – First step is to create a sports betting account at a legal sportsbook, below we have 3 of the best sportsbooks available. You do NOT have to be located in Indiana to register!
- Fund Your Account – Use your Visa, MC, Paypal and more to Take advantage of one of the promotions below and deposit. Again you do not need to be in the state to deposit!
- Game Day Drive – To make a bet just take a short drive over to the Indiana border to place a bet! That simple….
ndiana is a remote registration state for sports betting, which means that you can sign up for a sportsbook and place your bets from anywhere in the state. In fact, you can even sign up from home, but in order to register and make your first deposit, you will have to be located in the state of Indiana by the geolocation technology employed by the sportsbooks.
The state of Kentucky may not have pro teams, but there are certainly very rich traditions with college sports and you can bet on college basketball and college football in Indiana. You can also bet on all of the pro leagues that you follow closely. Whatever your heart desires, you can bet on it in Indiana and there are a lot of sportsbooks you can use, including BetMGM, BetRivers, DraftKings, PointsBet, William Hill, Unibet, Caesars, and theScore.
The process of signing up and making a deposit is really easy. Each sportsbook provides step-by-step instructions for how to do exactly that, regardless of if you use the website or the mobile app. We can also help you along the way with some exclusive promo codes as an affiliate marketer for the different sportsbook operators in the Hoosier State. The same will be true of Tennessee when they get up and running in case you head south instead of north and west.
It really, truly is as easy as going over the Sherman Minton Bridge on I-64 or the Clark Memorial Bridge on 2nd Street or the Big Four Bridge on I-65. You really don’t have to go far and you can start placing your fully legal wagers. It doesn’t matter that you live in Kentucky because all bets will be placed in the legal jurisdiction of the state of Indiana.
If you live in Louisville or the surrounding areas and want to bet on sports in Indiana, let’s discuss your best options for a great user experience and a helpful first deposit promo code.
SPORTS BETTING SITES NEAR LOUISVILLE KENTUCKY
BetMGM Sportsbook
BetMGM Sportsbook speaks for itself. This global leader in gaming and hospitality is known around the world as a company of luxury and they bring the Las Vegas sportsbook experience to the palm of your hand. BetMGM offers up to $500 in risk-free bets upon your first deposit and provides a safe, secure, reputable, and trustworthy place to make your bets. Use of the BetMGM app also automatically enters you into the Mlife Rewards program, where your points can be used for freeplay and comps at resort destinations around the world, including Las Vegas.
BetMGM regularly runs Bet $1, Win $100 in free bets promotions and that would be a good time to sign up so that you can use that offer to complement the sign-up promotion offered through us here at ATS. Read More
BetRivers Sportsbook
BetRivers may not be quite as recognizable as some of the other operators in Indiana, but what makes them different also makes them special. They are able to offer things that the other operators are not and they will have a different set of odds, promotions, and the iRush Rewards program awaiting you when you sign up and make that first deposit. BetRivers was actually the first sportsbook in Indiana to take an online wager in October 2019 and they offer a 100% Deposit Match Bonus up to $250 for new signups. Read More
DraftKings Sportsbook
DraftKings was originally known as a home for daily fantasy sports, but now serves as one of the industry leaders in sports betting since PASPA was overturned on May 14, 2018. DraftKings Sportsbook is one of the most recognizable brands in the business and handles a large portion of the sports betting handle in a lot of states, including Indiana. You can get up to $1,000 in risk-free bets if you sign up at DraftKings Sportsbook through us at ATS and they also offer their version of the Bet $1, Win $100 promotions with regularity. Read More
PointsBet
PointsBet is really making a name for itself in the United States. The Australia-based sports betting operator has brought a new spin to wagering in the U.S. with its PointsBetting system, which is a higher-risk, higher-reward way of gambling on the sports and events that you love. PointsBet also offers a slew of weekly promotions, Odds Boosts, and bonuses.
There are two different new user sign-up bonuses at PointsBet, with a 100% Deposit Match Bonus up to $250 or two risk-free bets up to $1,500, including one that allows you to test drive the PointsBetting system. Read More
There are a lot of options for Kentuckians that want to bet on sports and it is especially easy for those in Louisville to make their legal U.S. sports betting wagers in the state of Indiana.
