Sandy’s Racing & Gaming, the Ashland gaming facility owned by Revolution Racing, has selected its desired sports betting partner and could announce as soon as “possibly early next week.”
That’s according to a Sandy’s spokesperson, who shared the timeline update with PlayKentucky earlier this week.
On Friday, John Marshall, the President and COO of Revolutionary Racing, told PlayKentucky the venue’s Kentucky sports betting partner is “a big name you would recognize.”
An early release next week would likely make Revolutionary Racing the third Kentucky operator to announce its online partner. Sandy’s Racing & Gaming is scheduled to open in October, but its sports betting partner will begin offering online Kentucky sports betting when the industry launches Sept. 28.
Which online sportsbook will Sandy’s partner with?
In late June, Revolutionary Racing VP of Government Relations Conor Lucas told PlayKentucky the company was in “final negotiations” with its future online partner.
Marshall wouldn’t comment any further Friday on which company it was. However, it’s plausible that it will be the partner of BetMGM Kentucky.
Of the four major US online sportsbooks, Caesars (Keeneland and Red Mile) and FanDuel (Churchill Downs) are already committed, which leaves just DraftKings and BetMGM up for grabs.
Churchill Downs Inc. owns several venues eligible for a brick-and-mortar sportsbook. And it already has an existing horse racing partnership with DraftKings. As a result, it could include DraftKings Kentucky among its partners.
By process of elimination, that leaves BetMGM. The Las Vegas-based gaming giant seemed like a good fit for the Kentucky Speedway. BetMGM already has a partnership with NASCAR and the Speedway is one of the larger venues initially thought to be eligible for a sportsbook.
But after the regulations were released, it was revealed that Kentucky Speedway was not eligible for a sportsbook because it is not registered with a racing association. Suddenly, BetMGM looks like it could become Sandy’s partner.
Could Barstool Sportsbook be in the mix?
It’s possible that PlayKentucky is blinded by market share.
Marshall said the Sandy’s partner was a “major brand” and a “big name you would recognize.”
But that doesn’t necessarily equate to one of the four largest operators in the US. They are a controversial brand, but Barstool Sports is certainly a major brand recognizable to many. In other words, maybe Barstool Sportsbook will launch a Kentucky platform with Sandy’s.
Barstool founder Dave Portnoy has a large social media following and makes Kentucky Derby content every year. Additionally, Barstool Sportsbook is owned by PENN Entertainment, which isn’t a small operation.
If it’s not BetMGM, Barstool Sportsbook Kentucky also seems to fit Marshall’s description.
Sandy’s Racing & Gaming sportsbook details
Revolutionary Racing broke ground on the facility last year and is scheduled to open this fall in Ashland. Its retail sportsbook will be a new, 74,000-square-foot facility.
Sandy Ridge is the overall name of a development between three partners. This project includes Sandy’s Gaming and Sandy’s Racing. According to Marshall, the first phase, Sandy’s Gaming, is being completed now and is expected to open by Halloween.
Ashland is located in northeastern Kentucky near the Ohio River. It’s just a short drive from Ohio and West Virginia, two neighboring states with already-existing sports betting markets.
The gaming floor at Sandy’s will be 40,000 square feet, with much of that space dedicated to 672 historical horse racing machines. The space is being dubbed a “gaming parlor” where “the horses dash, the games cash and drinks splash.”
The Sandy’s Gaming facility will be in a former Sears store at what was once the KYOVA Mall in Ashland. Revolutionary Racing partnered with ELS Gaming and EBCI Holdings, the corporate umbrella for the Cherokee Indians, on this project.
A retail sportsbook at Sandy’s would be the first and only sportsbook in eastern Kentucky as the state’s sports betting market is just a few months away.
Looking at the Kentucky landscape
Kentucky retail sportsbooks can begin accepting wagers on Sept. 7, and online sportsbooks will launch in the state on Sept. 28. The timing will coincide with the first month of the NFL season.
Keeneland and Red Mile partnered with Caesars, ensuring a Caesars Sportsbook Kentucky platform. Churchill Downs will be the land-based operator behind FanDuel Kentucky.
