When Kentucky sports betting apps launch on Sept. 28, residents of the Bluegrass State will have an even larger variety of events to wager on.
On Thursday, the Kentucky Sports Wagering Advisory Council approved the addition of a fistful of events to the state’s sports wagering catalog. The five markets added to the catalog ahead of next week’s mobile sports betting launch are:
- Formula 1 Racing
- National Rugby League Australia
- Professional Fighters League (PFL) MMA
- Bellator MMA
- Universal Tennis League
“Ultimately it will be up to the providers, that’s the tracks and mobile applications, to determine if they will add these, but the recommendation has been made that will open it up,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said of the expanded wagering catalog. “People wanted this (sports betting) for a long, long time and I’m glad we could finally deliver.”
The initial Kentucky sports wagering catalog was approved on Aug. 31, ahead of the launch of retail sports betting on Sept. 7. It included such major sports as the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, WNBA and NCAA baseball, softball, basketball, football and hockey. To be considered for the Kentucky sports wagering catalog, an event must be sanctioned by a governing body.
See the Wagering Catalog for the complete list.
Pre-Registration Strong For Online KY Sportsbooks
Kentucky residents have one more week to wait until online wagering goes live, but pre-registration for approved sportsbooks has been strong, according to Beshear.
“We’re hearing from our mobile partners that over 60,000 mobile accounts are pre-registered already,” he said during his ‘Team Kentucky’ update on Thursday.
Kentuckians have been able to pre-register for an account with approved mobile applications since Aug. 28. A total of $550 in bonus offers are available today with such top operators like BetMGM Kentucky, Caesars Kentucky, bet365 Kentucky, FanDuel Kentucky, and DraftKings Kentucky, all of whom are slated go live when online sports betting launches at 6 a.m. ET on Sept. 28.
Check out the top Kentucky sportsbook pre-launch bonuses:
Get $300
In-Person Wagering in Kentucky Off to Solid Start
Beshear stated during his weekly update that over $4.5 million in handle has been generated during the first two weeks of in-person sports betting in Kentucky.
“That is a strong number, but we believe it will grow significantly once online wagering begins,” Beshear added.
A total of nine brick-and-mortar locations, six Kentucky racetracks — and their satellite facilities — began taking bets on Sept. 7, just in time for the NFL kickoff and the college football season.
Sports wagering is expected to increase the state’s revenue by an estimated $23 million a year upon full implementation. The increase in revenue will support the oversight of sports wagering and then be dedicated to the Kentucky permanent pension fund.
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