We Asked DraftKings If It Will Be 18+ In Kentucky. Here’s What It Said

Written By Matthew Bain on May 30, 2023 - Last Updated on June 23, 2023
DraftKings 18+ betting Kentucky, from playkentucky.com

So far we know Caesars Sportsbook will be 21-plus in Kentucky. We’re 99% sure BetMGM and FanDuel will be the same.

But … what about DraftKings?

Of the four major US sports betting brands, DraftKings Sportsbook is the only that offers 18-plus betting in any jurisdiction — which it does in New Hampshire and Wyoming, where the legal age limit is 18.

For sports betting in Kentucky, 18 is also the age limit.

So, PlayKentucky asked DraftKings: Will you allow customers 18 and over to bet like you do in New Hampshire and Wyoming?

Here was the sportsbook’s response, via Griffin Finan, Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel at DraftKings:

“DraftKings is committed to following the age restrictions set forth by each individual jurisdiction.”

What DraftKings’ answer means

OK. A non-answer answer, of sorts. But it actually is pretty revealing. Let’s break it down.

DraftKings is currently live in two states that have 18 as their legal sports betting age limit: New Hampshire and Wyoming. And, in those two states, DraftKings Sportsbook is an 18-plus app. Everywhere else, where the age limit is 21, it’s a 21-plus app.

That would seem to point toward DraftKings Kentucky serving 18-and-over bettors when it launches later this year.

Pros and cons for DraftKings offering 18+ betting

That would also give DraftKings an extra edge over BetMGM Kentucky, FanDuel Kentucky and Caesars Kentucky. Translation: Kentucky bettors aged 18, 19 or 20 would only have DraftKings as an option, outside other smaller sportsbooks that will launch and also allow 18-plus gambling.

However, the push for responsible gambling measures has increased dramatically over the past couple of years. That includes enacting more policies to protect underage and vulnerable gamblers.

DraftKings hasn’t changed its age limit in New Hampshire and Wyoming as a result. But perhaps it will want to avoid any negative attention involved with letting college students legally bet in any new launches from this point forward.

Our guess?

Still, if we had to guess today, based on DraftKings’ response to us, we’d guess it will be an 18-plus Kentucky sportsbook app.

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Matthew Bain

Matthew Bain started as a Content Manager for PlayKentucky and other Catena Media sites in 2022. He covered the launch of Massachusetts sports betting and the Prop 26 vs. Prop 27 battle in California. Before that, he spent six years as a sports reporter and then deputy sports editor for the Des Moines Register, during which time he won nine statewide journalism awards, including the Genevieve Mauck Stoufer Outstanding Young Iowa Journalists Award. As deputy sports editor, Matthew oversaw the Register's recruiting coverage while also innovating the outlet's high school sports coverage. Matthew graduated from San Diego State and grew up in California, but he's somehow a Boston Celtics fan. Long story.

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