Kentucky Online Gambling 2020

Currently, the Bluegrass State doesn’t have any traditional casinos. Most gambling in Kentucky is confined to pari-mutuel sports betting at the state’s 10 racetracks.

Casino slot machines are outlawed, but players can win cash on “skill-based” electronic gaming terminals available at Kentucky racetracks. These are called Historical Racing Machines (HRMs) where players win cash predicting the outcome of real-life races. Let’s see how online gambling situation and laws in Kentucky change in 2020. 

Sportsbooks

While sports betting is not yet legal in the Bluegrass State, there has been legislation introduced to legalize and regulate the industry recently. Not much progress has been made since late 2018. The original bill was short on details of exactly the laws would look like but early drafts not only allowed for online sports betting but also casino expansion and an online market as well.

Casinos

Technically speaking, Kentucky has no casinos and they are illegal in the state. However, they do have racinos attached to their many horse tracks around the state. These facilities are limited to video poker, slots, and the like so don’t really qualify as casinos. However, the same bill allowing sports betting would expand this market as well.

Online Poker

As you probably guessed, with Kentucky’s tough if only temporary gambling laws, online poker is not available in the state. The state seems to be behind the curve a bit although it is making strides to catch up. Just as with many other states, it is not illegal to play poker online, just illegal to run an online poker site. Therefore, all the online poker action in the state is accessed via off-shore sites.

Lotteries

The Kentucky Lottery is a fine legal gambling product in the state and it has all the big-time games available for drawings, scratch offs, and a few of their very own state lotteries. You can play Mega Millions, Powerball, and Pick 4 as well as Quick Bucks, Cashball, and 5 Card Cash which are brought to you by the state of Kentucky.

Fantasy Sports

Wagering on fantasy sports is not legal in the state of Kentucky. However, the state has been trying to pass legislation to regulate the industry and, although this has yet to happen, DFS sites such as DraftKings and FanDuel do operate in the state.

Horse Racing

It should go without saying that the horse racing betting industry in Kentucky is thriving. This goes for their many tracks including Church Hill Downs, their OTB’s, and their online sites as well. Wagering on horse racing isn’t going anywhere in Kentucky, maybe, by 2020.

10 Biggest cities in Kentucky for online gambling:

1. Louisville
2. Bowling Green
3. Owensboro
4. Covington
5. Richmond
6. Georgetown
7. Hopkinsville
8. Florence
9. Elizabethtown
10. Nicholasville