The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission approved nine wagering operators and seven tracks for temporary service provider and sports betting licenses Tuesday, on the same day that DraftKings became the fourth major operator to announce market access in the state.
Partnerships for all nine operators were revealed during the meeting, including one for Fanatics Sportsbook, which was not on the original list of applicants shared by the KHRC. Prior to the meeting, DraftKings shared that it has partnered with ECL Corbin and has plans to open brick-and-mortar sportsbooks at the Mint Gaming Hall and Cumberland Run, in addition to operating a digital platform.
The KHRC has plans to launch retail sports betting on the first day of the NFL season, Sept. 7, with digital betting to follow statewide on Sept. 28.
The KHRC gave temporary approval Tuesday to operators bet365, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, Circa Sportsbook, DraftKings, Fanatics Sportsbook, FanDuel, Kambi, and PENN Sports Interactive, and to tracks Churchill Downs, Cumberland Run, Ellis Park, Oak Grove Gaming and Racing, the Red Mile, Sandy’s, and Turfway Park.
Most operators will go digital only
Fanatics and Kambi were not on the initial list of applicants that the KHRC released Aug. 10. Each track can have up to three digital partners, and in the initial batch of approvals, some tracks already have multiple partners. Here’s a look:
Barstool Sportsbook: Ellis Entertainment, mobile only
bet365: Revolutionary Racing, mobile only
BetMGM: Revolutionary Racing, mobile and retail
Caesars Sportsbook: Lexington Trot Breeders Association, mobile and retail
Circa Sports: ECL Corbin, mobile only
DraftKings: ECL Corbin, mobile and retail
Fanatics Sportsbook: Oak Grove, mobile only
FanDuel: Turfway, mobile only
Kambi: Churchill Downs, Turfway Park, Ellis Entertainment, Oak Grove, retail only
“PENN will be a winner if they leverage ESPN into something truly unique and differentiated, beyond traditional affiliate marketing activations."@LloydDanzig (@jeffedelstein) https://t.co/t8BOtxSdUL
— Sports Handle (@sports_handle) August 22, 2023
Based on the list, it appears that Churchill Downs Inc. will have a branded sportsbook with Kambi running the back end at its famed track, rather than CDI partnering with a nationally known brand. It also appears that PENN Entertainment has plans to launch its Barstool Sportsbook brand ahead of a projected transition to ESPN BET in November. PENN announced a deal with ESPN this month for rebranding of the sportsbook.
Fourth launch of 2023
In May, Caesars Sportsbook was the first to announce market access in Kentucky. It will partner with Keeneland Racecourse and Red Mile Gaming & Racing for two physical sportsbooks and one digital platform. BetMGM announced this month that it will have a brick-and-mortar location at Sandy’s Racing and Gaming as well as a digital platform, while FanDuel previously announced digital market access through Churchill Downs.
When retail sportsbooks open in just over two weeks, Kentucky will become the fourth state behind Ohio, Massachusetts, and Nebraska to usher in legal sports betting this year. It will become the 35th state to offer legal sports betting in some fashion.
For DraftKings, Kentucky will mark its 24th market overall and 22nd for digital betting.
