1. Is Online Gambling Legal In Kentucky
2. Casinos In Kentucky And Indiana
3. Are Casinos Legal In Kentucky 2020

Kentucky shares borders with several states that have very progressive gambling laws. West Virginia, for example, is a state that allows brick-and-mortar casinos, as well as sportsbooks. Since recently, this state has also made online sports betting legal. The Franklin Kentucky Downs Casino is the only casino that we can find within the State’s territory even though they are other forms of gambling such as horse tracks. This casino features not less than 500 slot machines, simulcasting and “Horses Racing Jackpot”.

• Casino Gambling: Not Legal
• Poker: Not Legal
• Horse Racing Betting: Legal
• Dog Racing Betting: Not Legal
• Lottery: Legal
• Daily Fantasy Sports: Not Specified
• Charitable Gaming: Legal
• Social Gambling: Legal
• Online Gambling: Not Specified

In most cases, Kentucky gambling law is strict. The state’s history as the epicenter of thoroughbred breeding and racing means that wagering on horse races is generally exempt from the tough anti-gaming laws in place in the Bluegrass State.

Kentucky allows its citizens a few traditional American ways to gamble. The state runs its own popular lottery system and Kentucky residents are allowed to buy tickets for multi-state drawings as well. Kentucky just moved to allow online lottery sales, which is seen as a huge step in the direction of expanded access to regulated gaming. Charitable games are provided for, and rules for private games make it clear what the state expects of citizens in private betting pools.

But the one thing that’s missing in Kentucky is legal access to traditional casino gambling. Kentucky residents have to travel to nearby states to get their fix of table games, slot machines, and other Vegas classics.

We look at existing Kentucky law and examine why the state is so dead-set against casino gambling, below.

Recent efforts to legalize casino gambling in Kentucky were met with consternation by the state’s highest house of Congress. That happened in both 2010 and 2012. Part of the reason for the state’s dragging its feet is the large amount of revenue they already earn from horse race betting. Check out some key facts about Kentucky’s gambling industry below.

Is Online Gambling Legal In Kentucky

• Age Requirements: 18 for horse race betting
• Approximate Annual Gambling Revenue: $839 million
• Approximate Annual Gambling Taxes: $310 million
• Number of Commercial Casinos: 0
• Number of Racinos: 0
• Number of Tribal Casinos: 0
• Casino Regulatory Body: Kentucky Horse Racing Authority
• Lottery National Rankings: 20th

Casinos In Kentucky And Indiana

Are Casinos Legal In Kentucky 2020

You’ve got some knowledge about the state’s betting business under your belt. You’re ready to read our analysis of Kentucky’s notoriously-tough gambling laws. Pay close attention to the specific and at times archaic wording of the state’s restrictions on betting. As is often the case, Kentucky’s gaming laws depend on old interpretations and definitions, and should the state decide to relax existing betting laws, they’d also have to deal with existing language in the penal code that doesn’t jibe with the modern gambling industry.