Kentucky is “on track” to meet its lofty goal of launching the state’s sports betting industry by the NFL’s Sept. 7 kickoff.
That’s according to Gov. Andy Beshear, who stuck to his ambitious timeline during his weekly Team Kentucky press conference.
“I am thrilled at the speed at which sports betting is moving to become operational here in Kentucky,” Beshear said. ” … We set a very aggressive goal to have it up and running before the first game of the NFL season and I believe we’re on track to do that.”
Beshear said his office is “also reminding everyone each day that we have to get this done under that timetable.”
What’s the next step toward an NFL launch?
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission plans to hold a special meeting in July to vote on a set of emergency regulations that will govern the Kentucky sports betting industry in its first iteration. Once those regulations are approved, they’ll be sent to Beshear for his approval. From there, Kentucky sportsbooks can begin filing their applications for retail or online licenses.
A representative of the Public Protection Cabinet, which houses the KHRC, told PlayKentucky the KHRC has not yet finalized what that all-important July meeting will take place.
In a best-case scenario, the KHRC will have finalized regulations in place by early July. That would leave the commission with a two-month turnaround to launch sports betting by the first NFL game of the year — Kansas City vs. Detroit on Sept. 7. Although not impossible, on paper, that would be an incredibly quick turnaround to get online license applications vetted and approved.
Retail sportsbooks more likely to meet launch goal
Retail licenses, on the other hand, don’t require as much time to approve. Brick-and-mortar sportsbooks have launched before mobile sportsbooks in many states, including most recently in Massachusetts, when retail sportsbooks launched Jan. 31 and mobile apps went live March 10.
Beshear has not specified what he means when he says he wants sports betting up and running by NFL kickoff. Is that sports betting of any kind? Or does that include online sports betting?
Perhaps it’s intentional that Beshear hasn’t made a distinction. That way, he can proclaim victory even if just brick-and-mortar sportsbooks are taking bets on Sept. 7.
Two operators have secured their Kentucky partners
So far, only two commercial sportsbook operators have secured their places in the Kentucky market:
- Caesars Sportsbook Kentucky will launch with its Keeneland and Red Mile partnership.
- FanDuel Kentucky will launch with its Churchill Downs partnership.
