We don’t yet know which operator Churchill Downs will partner with for its retail sportsbook.
But we do know where that sportsbook will be located.
Derby City Gaming, the flagship historical horse racing gaming facility of Churchill Downs Inc., will house the retail sportsbook affiliated with the legendary Louisville horse racetrack when the Kentucky sports betting market launches.
Earlier this month, Derby City Gaming held a grand opening for its newest additions — a 123-room hotel, chophouse, bourbon bar and sports bar. More specifically, a “state-of-the-art sports bar to facilitate sports wagering,” according to a CDI press release.
Churchill Downs opting for HHR facility over racetrack
This falls in line with the plan from Revolutionary Racing, which owns the Sandy Ridge racetrack and Sandy’s Racing & Gaming, an HHR gaming facility that will open in October 2023. In an interview with PlayKentucky, a Revolutionary Racing official said their retail sportsbook will be housed in Sandy’s, not at Sandy Ridge.
Derby City Gaming is located next to the Louisville airport, about 6 miles east of Churchill Downs. It is the largest of nine currently open HHR gambling parlors in Kentucky, with 1,273 HHR machines on its floor.
Churchill Downs has not yet announced a sports betting partner for it or any of the other CDI tracks, Turfway Park, Ellis Park and Oak Grove. Perhaps that could be due to the public relations nightmare it’s facing in the wake of 12 horse deaths surrounding the Kentucky Derby.
Or perhaps CDI is following Kentucky Downs’ method of waiting until regulations are finalized before signing any deal.
Which operator will run the Derby City Gaming sportsbook?
FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook are the unquestioned market leaders, so it makes sense one of them would lock arms with Churchill Downs. FanDuel is probably more likely, considering it was the official sports wagering sponsor of the 2023 Kentucky Derby and it was the first of the two operators to ink horse betting deals with CDI.
However, Bet365 Kentucky could also be a name to watch, as the UK-based operator is rising fast in its US expansion and looking to make several big American splashes before 2023 is done.
