Kentucky Online Sportsbooks Highlight Recent Sports Betting News

Kentucky online sportsbooks are now open, and GeoComply has revealed how active the market was in the first 24 hours KY sports betting apps were live on Thursday. Elsewhere, the ongoing Florida sports betting legal battle continues to develop. Plus, the NFL has updated its sports betting guidelines for players. Let’s take a look at all the recent sports betting news across the industry.

KY SPorts Betting Numbers: First 24 Hours Locals Embrace Online Sports Betting

GeoComply has released the results of geolocation transaction data for the first 24 hours of Kentucky online sportsbooks. A reported 2 million geolocation checks were made from close to 200,000 unique accounts. Online sports betting has been embraced by locals in a major way.

This success was anticipated. Prior to the launch, Gov. Andy Beshear revealed that more than 60,000 mobile betting accounts were made. These accounts were set up by fans in anticipation of the mobile betting market going live.

With the early embrace of mobile sports betting in Kentucky, lawmakers are surely excited for the future of the market. Gov. Beshear also revealed that more than $4.5 million was wagered during the first two weeks of betting at retail sportsbooks. With the addition of mobile betting, these numbers are only expected to increase.

Florida Sports Betting Update

In other sports betting news, the continued saga of the Florida sports betting legal trials has had some interesting developments. West Flagler, the opposition to the relaunch of online sportsbooks in the Sunshine State, has been denied its stay request by the D.C. Circuit Court. This denial makes it so that the current case cannot prevent the Seminole Tribe of Florida from relaunching.

However, the tribe has already made it clear that they will not be moving forward with a launch at this time. With the fate of Florida sports betting still at the hands of the courts, the Seminoles are likely waiting until the case is fully closed.

“It’s another positive development, but it will have no immediate effect on the Seminole Tribe’s plans,” said Gary Bitner, a spokesman for the tribe, to The News Service of Florida.

West Flagler has also brought the case to the Florida Supreme Court. The court has requested a response from Gov. Ron DeSantis by Nov. 1 regarding the sports betting lawsuit. West Flagler will be able to respond to DeSantis by Nov. 21.

The likelihood of online sports betting in Florida returning in 2023 is dim, with West Flagler continuing its legal fight. Fans in Florida will be waiting another few months, at least, before any real advancement can be made.

NFL Updates Sports Betting Policy

In the early weeks of the NFL season, the league updated its sports betting policies for athletes. The NFLPA and NFL have come together to modify gambling rules and set clear repercussions for breaking said rules.

The new rules are as follows: Players who wager on their own team will be suspended for at least two years. Players who wager on any other NFL game will be suspended for at least one year. Betting on non-NFL games while on team facilities or team-related travel will result in a two-game suspension for the first violation. A second violation will be a six-game suspension, and a third violation will be one year.

“We periodically review the NFL Gambling Policy to ensure that it is responsive to changing circumstances and fully addresses our commitment to protect the integrity of the game,” wrote Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner. “… The revised gambling policy that we are issuing today provides that clarity and focus, and gives clear guidance to players about the consequences of violating the policy.”

These harsher punishments were made so that the league could crack down on rampant gambling issues. 12 players, an assistant coach, and several league personnel were suspended due to violations of the gambling policy. These new guidelines will hopefully deter any further violations.