Kentucky Sen. Damon Thayer made comments this week that indicated Kentuckians could legally wager on NFL games this year.
Thayer, a Kentucky sports betting legislation sponsor and the Senate majority leader, told The Lines that the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission views the NFL season as “a real possibility” for a sports betting timeline.
Gov. Andy Beshear signed the legislation into law at the end of March. The bill mandated that the sports betting industry must launch within six months of the law being enacted on June 28, 2023. So, Dec. 28, 2023.
The state’s attorney general will enact the law at the end of the month. Thus, sports betting will be available by the end of the year with reputable sportsbooks such as Bet365 Sportsbook Kentucky and DraftKings Sportsbook KY accessible to state gamblers.
However, shortly after signing the bill, Beshear said he wanted to launch the new market by the start of the 2024 professional football season. He reiterated that timeline goal during a recent press conference.
Thayer isn’t as confident for a launch at the start of the season
Thayer’s comments indicated that while the launch would be earlier than year’s end, it wasn’t a lock to be ready for Week 1.
“Whether sports betting would be ready to go for the opening of the NFL season or at some point during the season is to be determined,” he told The Lines.
Based on his comments, it appears the KHRC will cement the regulations as quickly as possible. Once the rules are in place and the licenses are awarded, sports betting will officially arrive.
On the bright side for Kentucky bettors, Thayer said the regulators began crafting the regulatory framework as soon as Beshear signed on the dotted line.
A late start could help expedite the process
Furthermore, Kentucky isn’t exactly early to the current US sports betting boom. Regulators had a chance to look at what worked and what didn’t in other jurisdictions.
At the end of May, KHRC Chairman Jonathan Rabinowitz met with Jordan Maynard, a commissioner on the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Maynard explained to Rabinowitz his experience with launching a sports betting industry.
Like Kentucky, Massachusetts also had a short turnaround between legalization and launch.
“One of the benefits of Kentucky being one of the last states is we can learn from what all the others before us have done,” Thayer said. “And hopefully learn from any mistakes that were made and follow some of the best practices that were out there.”
