Beshear has touted its passage in making his case to voters for a second term. The governor, who is seeking reelection in November, could reap a political windfall from his support for legalization of sports betting. Kentucky’s sports wagering debut came on the same day the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs were hosting the Detroit Lions in the NFL’s first game of the season. Now the state has ushered in sports betting at racetracks and other track-affiliated venues.īeshear, who pushed to legalize sports betting throughout his term, put state regulators on an accelerated timetable to put the regulations in place to oversee the new form of gambling. The games typically show video of condensed races. In recent years, the state’s horse tracks have capitalized on a newer form of gambling - slots-like historical horse racing machines that allow people to bet on randomly generated, past horse races.

Wagering on horse racing is a time-honored tradition in Kentucky, which bills itself as the world’s horse capital. Supreme Court cleared the way for legalized sports betting five years ago, and since then nearly three-fourths of the states have moved to allow it. “This expansion of predatory gambling is a lose-lose for Kentuckians, especially for children and the vulnerable,” David Walls, executive director of The Family Foundation, said in a statement. A small percentage of sports wagering tax revenue will flow into a fund to help combat problem gambling. Beshear quickly signed the measure into law.įor some Kentuckians, the launch of sports wagering was a milestone they thought might never occur, after proposals to legalize it died in previous years.īut critics of sports betting see it as an addictive form of gambling that will hurt Kentucky families. The state’s GOP-dominated Legislature finished work on the bill to legalize, regulate and tax sports wagering in late March during the final hours of its annual session. Sports betting became a reality after a prolonged political fight.

And it will stop the siphoning of revenue to other states where Kentuckians previously placed sports bets. Most of the revenue will go to Kentucky’s public pension system. The venture is projected to generate about $23 million in yearly revenue for the state, though some supporters predict higher amounts.

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