It’s an exciting time for Kentucky online gambling as the state has expanded its gambling options for the first time since the Kentucky Lottery was introduced in 1989.
Kentuckians could already gamble on horse races and play the state lottery. Additionally, the state allows historical horse racing machines, which are similar to traditional slot machines. And starting in Sept. 2023, Kentucky retail sportsbooks began accepting sports wagers.
Check with PlayKentucky for the latest news and updates on legal Kentucky gambling.
Sports gambling became legal in Kentucky in March 2023. It launched at retail sportsbooks on Sept. 7, 2023 and via online sportsbooks on Sept. 28, 2023.
The law allows nine of the state’s racetracks and simulcast venues to host in-person sportsbooks. Each location is also allowed up to three online partners. Today operators like Caesars Sportsbook, BetMGM Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, DraftKings Sportsbook, and others are all available for online sports betting.
Home to Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby, the Bluegrass State is synonymous with horse racing. In fact, most of Kentucky’s legal gambling options are connected to horse gambling in one way or another.
Several different racetracks throughout KY feature live racing and pari-mutuel wagering. These locations also offer historical horse racing machines, which are slots-like games that use past horse races to determine outcomes.
Be aware also that Kentucky allows online gambling on horse races. No matter where you are located in KY, you can visit a site like FanDuel Racing to place wagers on horse races. Another option is a new DraftKings site called DK Horse, which launched in Kentucky ahead of the 2023 Kentucky Derby.
There are no legal online casinos in Kentucky, nor are there any retail casinos. Currently, the only gambling facilities are the state’s many racetracks and historical horse racing venues.
Historical horse racing machines are Kentucky’s version of slot machines. The experience is exactly the same, but the outcome is based on the results of past horse races. There are nine HHR venues in Kentucky combining for nearly 7,000 HHR machines.
To gamble online, Kentuckians can access several social and sweepstakes sites.
Kentuckians near the state border have access to several out-of-state casinos scattered along the Ohio River in Indiana and Ohio between Louisville and Cincinnati.
Those in Kentucky wanting to enter real money daily fantasy sports contests on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel can do so.
KY is like many states that have neither authorized DFS nor prohibited it with any specific law. Kentucky lawmakers did consider adding fantasy sports to the sports gambling bill. However, the DFS component was dropped before the bill was passed.
As a result, DFS technically remains in the same legal limbo found in many other states. That means you can play DFS in Kentucky at any of the several sites that invite KY players to create fantasy lineups and play guaranteed prize pools, cash games, showdown and tiers contests, and more.
As with online casinos, real-money online poker sites are not legal in Kentucky at present. Much like with DFS, the recent discussion of sports gambling did for a time consider adding online poker to the bill, but ultimately that idea was dropped. Other online poker-only legislation has been proposed as well, so keep an eye out for the topic to return.
There is a legal option for KY poker players, however, with social and sweepstakes sites. The most popular example is Global Poker, which uses virtual currencies but offers a chance to redeem winnings for cash.
Global Poker features a variety of ring games and multi-table tournaments. Since it serves most US states, the number of players (and prize pools) can sometimes be large. Look for No-Limit Texas Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha and even Crazy Pineapple at Global Poker.
While Kentucky is generally less than welcoming to online gambling, the Kentucky Lottery is one of the few state lotteries that allows players to purchase tickets online. Anyone at least 18 years old can purchase lottery tickets online from anywhere in the state, in addition to buying them at many retail locations.
The Kentucky Lottery participates in the big multi-jurisdiction draw games like Mega Millions and PowerBall. It also has many other instant-win games and scratchers, including in-state games like Kentucky 5, Fast Play, Keno and Cash Ball 225.
Tickets cost anywhere from $1 to $50, and prizes can reach as high as $2.5 million or more (and, of course, even more in the big nationwide games).
Yes, there are some forms of online gambling currently legal in Kentucky. The most notable examples are online horse gambling and online lottery games. Online sports gambling is now legal in KY, with the first online sportsbooks are scheduled to launch on Sept. 28. Real money online casinos are not legal, although social and sweepstakes casinos are.
Kentucky Revised Statute Chapter 528 lays out what gambling is legal in the state. For the most part, it is not. To wit, according to the statute, “a person is guilty of promoting gambling in the second degree when he knowingly advances or profits from unlawful gambling activity.” The only exceptions are the racetrack options, charitable gaming like bingo, and home poker games.
A search online might yield real money online casinos located outside the US that claim to be legal for Kentucky players. That’s not true. In fact, since these sites are not regulated in KY you have no legal recourse should you try to play on them and run into any problems with your personal information or funds. Even setting aside the sites’ questionable legality, playing on such offshore online casinos is not worth the risk.
As noted, Kentuckians wanting to play online casino games can do so legally on social and sweepstakes sites.
Kentucky does not have a centralized gambling regulator at the moment. Instead, each type of gambling has its own commission. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission oversees all racing-based games and will also regulate sports gambling.
Meanwhile, the Kentucky Lottery manages the lottery games, and the Department of Charitable Gaming handles bingo, raffles and other similar events.
Nowhere yet. But retail sportsbooks are scheduled to open on Sept. 7. Online sportsbooks will be available three weeks later on Sept. 28.
Kentucky has legalized both retail and online sports gambling. There are nine retail licenses up for grabs out of the 14 eligible racetracks and simulcast venues. Red Mile will have a Caesars Sportsbook, for instance, and Churchill Downs will have a FanDuel Sportsbook.
Each licensee can also each partner with up to three online operators. So expect to also see DraftKings KY, BetMGM KY and others, potentially including Bet365 Kentucky.
When it comes to wagering on horse races and playing the Kentucky Lottery, you need to be at least 18 years old. Interestingly, since sports gambling in KY is overseen by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and the new law connects sports gambling with horse gambling, the minimum age to wager on sports in KY will also be 18 years old. That’s younger than the typical 21 in most states with legal sports gambling.
It’s not likely. No online casino bills are being seriously considered at present. Online poker has received some attention, and there has even been legislation proposing it, but no bills have advanced very far. Once online sports gambling launches, the idea of further online gambling expansion might be considered, but don’t expect anything to happen on that front before then.
For any Kentuckian whose gambling is out of control or harmful, the best place to seek help is through the Kentucky Council on Problem Gambling. The KYCPG is the state affiliate of the National Council on Problem Gambling and serves as a resource for both advice and education on problem gambling and addiction. The organization can connect you with trained counselors around the clock and the resources you need to enter recovery.
You can call or text 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) at any time to speak to someone. Counselors are based at RiverValley Behavioral Health, an all-purpose mental health program headquartered in Owensboro. You can also chat with a counselor online through this link. The KYCPG maintains an active list of certified gambling counselors in Kentucky who can provide one-on-one therapy.
One common final option for problem gamblers is voluntary self-exclusion. Gamblers can agree to accept a ban from gambling locations and resources for a predetermined length of time and cannot reverse their decision. Bans are usually no fewer than six months and can be permanent if necessary.
If you would like more information about gambling in Kentucky, there are several options. The list below should get you started with some primary sources of facts and information.
