LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky is taking a step toward implementing sports wagering as the state’s Horse Racing Commission has scheduled a special meeting Monday to consider regulations for the newly lawful form of gambling.
After winning approval in the state legislature earlier this year, sports betting is expected to be available to Kentuckians in the fall, industry participants and observers have said. The racing commission, which is charged with overseeing sports betting, hasn’t responded to multiple requests for an estimated timeline.
The commission is staffing up — adding 14 positions — and has been meeting with counterparts in states like Indiana, New Jersey and Ohio in preparation for sports wagering, KHRC chairman Jonathan Rabinowitz said during the commission’s June 20 meeting.
Once the KHRC adopts the rules, it will be able to issue licenses to sports betting providers who apply for permission to operate.
The Republican-dominated legislature gave the state’s horse racing companies exclusive rights to operate in-person sportsbooks at their tracks and their casino-like historical gaming facilities, such as Derby City Gaming in Louisville.
Online and app-based platforms like FanDuel and BetMGM can also operate in the state if they reach a revenue-sharing deal with one of the horse tracks.
Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs Inc., told a Louisville audience in May that it would likely be “around football season” that sports wagering might go live. Churchill Downs is the biggest player in the state’s horse racing and historical gaming industries.
Rep. Al Gentry, a Louisville Democrat who co-sponsored the sports betting legislation, previously said that football season is a realistic target for sports betting to become available.
The legislation gives the racing commission until the end of 2023 to set up regulations and award licenses.
