Kentucky State Senator: “Going To Do (Sports Betting) Better Than Ohio.”

Sports betting in Kentucky was a topic during the presentation to the Kentucky Interim Joint Committee Appropriations and Revenue. Lawmakers spoke with major sportsbooks and discussed the upcoming market launch. Sen. Damon Thayer, who helped pioneer sports betting legislation, even stated that the Kentucky sportsbook experience would be “better than” Ohio sports betting.

Kentucky Sports Betting Incoming

Kentucky sportsbooks are expected to be live in September. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission stated that they have already been in discussion with major operators. Included in the discussions have been FanDuel, DraftKings, Caesars Sportsbook, WynnBET, BetMGM, and Circa Sports.

FanDuel and Caesars Sportsbook have already partnered with local racetracks in Kentucky. Sports betting law allows the nine local tracks to host up to three sports betting skins for online betting. This gives the upcoming market up to 27 sportsbooks potentially.

Some of the best sports betting sites will have access to the Kentucky market beginning Sept. 28. More sportsbook partnership announcements are expected in the coming weeks as the sports betting launch looms.

Kentucky Aiming To Outdo Ohio

Executive Director Jamie Eads addressed the Kentucky General Assembly’s interim budget committee. Here, Eads heard concerns from committee members surrounding the upcoming launch. Sen. Chris McDaniel specifically mentioned the recent sports gambling controversies that have plagued Ohio.

The Ohio sports betting market has seen several sports betting violations since the market has been live. This includes Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon’s suspicious betting controversy. Bohannon allegedly attempted to wager $100,000 on his own University of Alabama baseball team following a players injury while at the Cincinnati Bengals stadium.

Both Director Eads and Sen. Thayer expressed the desire to have a better handle on things than their Buckeye neighbors.

“We’re going to do things better than Ohio,” said Thayer. “We usually do. So I have no doubt in this case that’s going to happen.”

Also addressed in the appearance was that there will not be a need to hire upwards of 100 employees to ensure a smooth launch according to Sen. Thayer. Thayer expressed that the 14 employees requested by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission are enough for sports betting auditing. Director Eads concurred, stating that they feel confident with the 14 and funding to get the job done.

Online sportsbooks in Kentucky seem well on their way to reaching the September launch goals. The meeting reassured lawmakers that the process is moving at a steady pace.