On June 28, 2023, Governor Andy Behear signed legal sports betting into law in Kentucky. The Bluegrass State’s retail sports betting launch is scheduled for September 7, 2023, followed by Kentucky’s online sports betting launch on September 28, 2023.
In perhaps the most significant development since June 28, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has released a list of seven online sportsbooks that have applied for licensure in Kentucky. Three of those sportsbooks—FanDuel, BetMGM, and Caesars—had already announced pending entries to the Kentucky market. Nonetheless, the list includes several noteworthy, and unexpected, inclusions and omissions.
Kentucky mobile sportsbook applicants
- FanDuel
- BetMGM
- Caesars
- DraftKings
- Bet365
- Circa
- Penn Sports Interactive (ESPN BET)
As stated, Caesars Kentucky, BetMGM Kentucky, and FanDuel Kentucky, are all operations that had been planned and publicized ahead of the KHRC’s Thursday announcement. Below we review the surprises.
Surprise inclusions and omissions among Kentucky online sportsbook applicants
Surprise inclusions
Bet365
Bet365 operates in only five states—New Jersey, Ohio, Iowa, Virginia, and Colorado—and there had been very little industry chatter to suggest the Australian sportsbook intended to enter Kentucky. Bet365 typically offers a Bet $1, Get $365 in Bonus Bets bonus code when it launches in new states, which is far and away the most lucrative promotion to which US bettors have access with any degree of regularity. As such, a potential Bet365 Kentucky operation is a significant development, with enormous potential ramifications for the soon-to-begin competition among sportsbooks to offer the most enticing Kentucky state launch promos.
Penn Sports Interactive a.k.a. ESPN BET
It’s been a whirlwind week for Penn Sports Interactive, which sold Barstool Sports back to owner Dave Pourtnoy for just $1, while simultaneously inking a $1.5 billion, 10-year deal with ESPN to launch ESPN BET, expected to be a major player in the…
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