“I would really like to have [sports betting] ahead of that first NFL game,” said Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear back in April. Just over three months later, Beshear’s wish looks set to come true after the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) met in Lexington Monday and approved the September 7 launch of retail sports betting.
Beshear took to Twitter with a video after the announcement, in which he said that despite the “odds being against us” Kentuckians had “got it done:”
The retail launch day is the same day that Super Bowl winners Kansas City Chiefs will open their campaign at home to the Detroit Lions. The KHRC, meanwhile, will roll out online sports betting on September 28, a day before the 2023 Ryder Cup starts.
a natural extension of our history and tradition”
The market will supposedly bring in around $23m in annual tax revenue and licensing, according to estimations. Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer said the launch of sports betting at several racetracks will be “a natural extension of our history and tradition in betting on horses in Kentucky.”