Kentucky sportsbooks take $68m in handle over first four days following online launch
Governor Andy Beshear lauds impact of new market as it dwarfs retail sportsbook take
Kentucky’s new sports betting market took more than $68m in handle over the first four days of opening following the launch of online on September 28, according to state Governor Andy Beshear.
The Bluegrass State legislator took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to release the estimate, with the Governor’s office later confirming that approximately $66.5m was bet through 300,000 betting accounts with the state’s seven licensed operators and $1.7m through retail sportsbooks between September 28 and October 1.
The betting account number of 300,000, as reported by local NBC affiliate LEX18, dwarfs that of the 60,000 preregistered mobile and online sportsbook accounts given by the Governor’s office following the launch of retail sports betting in the state on September 7.
The online handle confirmed by Governor Beshear also exceeds that of the $4.5m reported by Kentucky officials during the first two weekends following the retail sports betting launch.
“These numbers shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone because Kentuckians have wanted this option for so long,” said Beshear in comments reported by LEX18.
“This is showing just how much Kentuckians wanted this and how right it was to pass it because people are really enjoying it.
“The best part is – all of it stays in Kentucky, helping with our pension system and other needs,” the Governor added.
The state’s seven mobile/online sportsbook operators are: bet365, FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars, Fanatics, and the Barstool Sportsbook, the latter of which will rebrand to ESPN Bet later this year following the $2bn licensing deal between ESPN and Barstool parent company PENN Entertainment in August.
Many of these operators, including FanDuel, Fanatics, and DraftKings, leaned heavily into the state from a marketing perspective with debut offers and promotional incentives seeking to recruit new players.
A local arm of Circa Sports, Circa Sports Kentucky, has received a license to operate a sportsbook from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) amid plans to launch a mobile sportsbook app later this year.