Kentucky Casinos & Gambling Law
Rachel Elam | January 20, 2020 | Updated on: December 5th, 2023
Kentucky is known as the home of horse racing in the United States. The Kentucky Derby is one of the most well-known horse races in the world and is held at Churchill Downs in the state. Kentucky became home to horse racing in 1783. The US state has always accepted that its tourists and residents visit Bluegrass Country to take in the races and bet a few dollars. But this is not all the state has to offer as there’s also a lottery in Kentucky.
While betting on horses has always been included, it has not been that quick to expand into casinos in Kentucky. Instant racing, which features slot machines that display winning symbols based on earlier races, began to appear at racetracks. Kentucky racetracks also offer off-track gambling. Charities in the state of Kentucky offer gambling games of chance with partial prizes and a number of events.
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Kentucky Casinos & Gambling
- Year Gambling was Regulated in Kentucky: Horseracing (1783), Historical, Lottery (1988), Racing (2010)
- Estimated Tax Revenue: Unknown
- Estimated Gambling Revenue: Unknown
- Kentucky Legal Gambling Age: 18
Types of Online Gambling in Kentucky
The only type of legal Kentucky internet gambling is off-track gambling on horses. These bets can be placed on sites and apps that belong to companies such as TVG, Twinspires, and BetAmerica. Daily fantasy gambling sites claim authority under Kentucky’s skill gambling laws. Online poker, sports betting, and casino sites are not lawful in Kentucky. The state filed its own qui tam lawsuits to cover losses for the state’s residents. Greyhound racing is also not lawful in Kentucky.
Popular Casino Games
- Horses
- Lottery
Live Gambling in Kentucky
There are three kinds of live Kentucky betting available to residents. A state lottery that sells scratch-off and also lotto tickets. Interstate drawings are also included. There are six Kentucky racetracks and they offer horse tracks. Kentucky Downs, Red Mile, and Ellis Park offer a controversial type of gambling that works its way through the court system. The two tracks offer instant racing machines. There are presently no Kentucky casinos operating.
Kentucky Gambling Laws
Kentucky only excuses the state lottery, horse racing, and instant racing machines. Charities that operate bingo games and raffles should be registered. Promoting gambling in Kentucky is a Class A misdemeanour or even a Class D felony. The gambling age in Kentucky is 18 years for racing, lottery and also instant racing bettors.
Where You Can Gamble in Kentucky
| RACETRACK | SIZE | ADDRESS | WEBSITE |
| Churchill Downs – Louisville | No Instant Racing® | 700 Central Ave. | www.churchilldowns.com |
| Ellis Park Race Course – Henderson | 170 Instant Racing® Machines | 3300 US-41 | www.ellisparkracing.com |
| Keeneland – Lexington | No Instant Racing® | 4201 Versailles Rd. | www.keeneland.com |
| Kentucky Downs – Franklin | 500 Instant Racing® Machines | 5629 Nashville Rd. | www.kentuckydowns.com |
| The Red Mile – Lexington | 900 Instant Racing® Machines | 1200 Red Mile Rd. | www.redmileky.com |
| Turfway Park – Florence | No Instant Racing® | 7500 Turfway Rd. | www.turfway.com |
Kentucky Gambling History
Horse racing goes back to 1783 in Kentucky, which is nine years before it was made a state. The first planned racing venue was created in Louisville. It was named Elm Tree Gardens. Racing went on to spread to Lexington in 1787 where horses compete at The Commons and Churchill Downs in 1883.
Kentucky did not previously control horse racing as it does. It was impossible to regulate pari-mutuel pools and to organize the tracks and horses years ago. The first lawful lottery in Kentucky took place in 1792. It took place in an attempt to raise funds for a church in Lexington. The Kentucky Lottery which still exists today was created via a November 1988 constitutional poll. The first ticket was then sold in April 1989.
Kentucky has been the home of two arguments with offshore internet gambling sites. Major websites were included in the list. Well-known names such as PokerStars, Absolute Poker, Full Tilt Poker, DoylesRoom and Cake Poker were amongst them.
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