Kentucky Expands Betting Options As Retail Sportsbooks Bring In $4.5 Million
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More sports are now available to bet on in the state of Kentucky, as the National Rugby League, Universal Tennis League, Formula 1, and more have been confirmed for the Bluegrass State. Bettors in the state are able to wager on these events right now at Kentucky retail sportsbooks, which brought in $4.5 Million in total handle throughout two weeks.
These sports will also be available with Kentucky online sportsbooks, which begin launching later this week on September 28, 2023.
State of Kentucky Adds Rugby, F1, And More Betting Options
With just days until sports betting goes fully live in the state of Kentucky, more options have just been added to the state’s wagering catalog. According to TheLines, Kentucky has just added additional sports betting options like Formula 1, National Rugby League, Bellator MMA, Universal Tennis League, and Professional fighters League.
These options will be available with both in-person sportsbooks and online betting apps in the state. There’s even the possibility for more betting options to be added to the catalog in the future, considering the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has the ability to add more types of sporting events in the future.
But don’t expect any wagers to be available on team sports in which minors can participate, although wagering on individual professional events in sports like tennis and golf with individuals under the age of 18 will be allowed.
Kentucky’s first sports bet is in at #ChurchillDowns! 💰 pic.twitter.com/HtCxsll8EJ
— Churchill Downs (@ChurchillDowns) September 7, 2023
KY Bettors Wagered $4.5 Million In First Two Weeks Of Retail Betting
Since September 7, 2023, sports bettors in the state of Kentucky have been able to place bets at retail sportsbooks. These physical sportsbooks are located at racetracks across the state, such as the FanDuel Sportsbook at Turfway Park, the Caesars Sportsbook at Red Mile Gaming & Racing, and the soon-to-open BetMGM Sportsbook at Sandy’s Racing & Gaming. Historic Churchill Downs also has its own retail sportsbook courtesy of Kambi.
These retail sportsbooks have already seen impressive betting numbers in just two weeks of availability. It’s been reported that $4.5 million was wagered throughout the first two weeks of legal sports betting in the state.
The large numbers reflect the ideal timing for this sports betting launch, as it coincided with the NFL season kicking off, as well as the ongoing college football season.
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Online Sports Betting Goes Live Thursday In Kentucky
Just a few weeks after the opening of brick-and-mortar sportsbooks, online Kentucky sports betting launches on September 28, 2023. This means that bettors will be able to sign up for sports betting apps like DraftKings Sportsbook, Bet365 Sportsbook, BetMGM Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook, and FanDuel Sportsbook and start placing wagers right from their mobile devices.
In an interesting wrinkle to this launch, the betting age will vary from platform to platform. Kentucky sports bettors will need to be 18 and up to sign up for Bet365 and DraftKings and 21 and up to bet with Caesars, FanDuel, and BetMGM.
With pre-registration available, Governor Andy Beshear has said that sports fans have already created over 60,000 mobile betting accounts. Although the retail betting numbers are strong, the convenience of registering for sportsbooks from home will undoubtedly result in a stronger betting handle.