The regulations that will govern Kentucky sports betting will be posted online for public review following their approval at the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission’s July 10 meeting, a government spokesperson told PlayKentucky.
There had been some ambiguity regarding when the KHRC would share its potential rules for sports betting in Kentucky.
At the commission’s June 20 meeting, Chairman Jonathan Rabinowitz simply said the public could review “initial drafts” of the regulations “in the next few weeks.” On June 30, PlayKentucky reached out to the KHRC seeking clarity about when those drafts would be posted online.
The KHRC’s response at the time:
“When available, draft administrative regulations will be posted to KHRC.ky.gov. Following the finalization of regulations, the licensing process will open for various types of applicants for sports wagering.”
So … open to interpretation. The KHRC never explicitly stated the public could review drafts of the sports betting regulations before they were finalized, but that interpretation was certainly plausible based on Rabinowitz’s original statement and the KHRC’s June 30 response to PlayKentucky.
When does the KHRC meet Monday?
On Monday, the KHRC will meet at 12:15 p.m. ET at Red Mile in Lexington to review and likely finalize the sports betting regulations that will govern the launch of Kentucky sportsbooks.
Gov. Andy Beshear has repeatedly publicly stated his goal of launching sports betting by the time the NFL season kicks off on Sept. 7 with the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Detroit Lions. July 10 to Sept. 7 would give the KHRC and operators about a two-month turnaround to get things up and running.
Difficult? Yes.
Impossible? No. Especially for retail sportsbooks. It also depends on how thorough the KHRC wants to be with its license application process. If a quick launch is its main priority, it can tailor certain processes to be more in line with that goal.
Apps that have already signed deals
So far, two sportsbook operators have confirmed partnerships that secure them a place in Kentucky:
- Caesars Sportsbook Kentucky, via Keeneland and Red Mile
- FanDuel Kentucky, via Churchill Downs
BetMGM Kentucky and DraftKings Kentucky will also no doubt launch in the Bluegrass State. Those companies may even already have partnerships secured and they’re just waiting to announce.
We’d also confidently predict Bet365 Kentucky will launch, based on its aggressive US expansion goals and its previous deal from January with Churchill Downs Inc. in Pennsylvania.
