Kentucky Sports Betting Regulations Vote Coming Early July

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission is working towards bringing sports betting to its residents in time for football season. The commission met Tuesday where they set a timeframe for a vote on new sports betting regulations. Regulations will be created and available for public comment. Following this, lawmakers will be able to vote to set these regulations in stone. The target launch window for KY sports betting will remain on track with an early July vote for rules and regulations.

When we spoke with Senator Damon Thayer, he revealed that the commission was optimistic for a launch by NFL season. Regulations being voted on in the coming weeks will be a major step in maintaining that launch window.

Updates From The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission

During the meeting, Chairman Jonathan Rabinowitz expressed how the commission had been working towards the target launch. Online sportsbooks in Kentucky must go live no later than December 2023. With that in mind, and the earlier target launch looming, the commission has been active none stop.

“For the past two months, members of the KHRC staff, KHRC commissioners, and members of the PPC have been meeting with regulators from other states, industry experts, service providers, and licensed associations with the goal of drafting clear and concise administrative regulations to govern sports wagering in Kentucky,” said Jonathan Rabinowitz.

Kentucky residents will see the rules on the commission’s website. This is where locals can review and comment on the rules and regulations for the market. This is standard in most sports betting states prior to launch.

The regulations will be centered around both retail locations and rules for the best sports betting sites. What will be covered in the posted regulations will include the legal gambling age, the total amount of sportsbooks, tax rate, advertising rules, and more.

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Kentucky Taking Notes From Other Markets

In an effort to accelerate the process, Kentucky is taking notes from other active betting markets. Rabinowitz revealed that the commission has met with regulatory bodies in other markets as they iron out the rules.

“Meeting with state regulators in Massachusetts, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, and Colorado have provided valuable insight into best practices,” continued Rabinowitz. “Many of these regulators have recently rolled out sports wagering in their states and provided tips learned from real-world experience.”

During our interview with Sen. Thayer, he stated “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.” Reaching out to other markets continues the same thinking process.

With notes from other markets set and a date timeframe for when voting on regulations will take place, KY sports betting is on track to meeting the football season launch window.