All About Kentucky Sports Betting Handle And Revenue

By Editorial Staff

@BetKYdotcom

June 30, 2025 02:51pm

BetKentucky.com is your go-to destination for all things related to Kentucky sports betting, and as such, we’ve developed this guide to explain terms such as handle, revenue and tax collections.

Sports betting began in the Bluegrass State in September 2023. State officials chose a gradual launch, allowing brick-and-mortar sportsbooks to start first on Sept. 7, 2023. Online operators received the green light three weeks later.

Several Kentucky licensed racetracks have licenses to serve as sports wagering operators. That allows them to host sportsbooks at their racing venues and their historical horse racing satellite facilities. Those tracks may also partner with up to three online sports betting operators.

Currently, there are eight licensed online sports betting operators in the state; they often offer Kentucky betting promos. Bet365 and BetMGM have partnered with Sandy’s Racing and Gaming. Caesars Sportsbook is connected to The Red Mile. Circa Sports and DraftKings have partnerships with Cumberland Run. Fanatics is partnered with Oak Grove Racing and Gaming. FanDuel is licensed through Turfway Park, and ESPN BET (Penn Interactive) is connected with Ellis Park.

Brick-and-mortar sportsbooks have opened at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ellis Park in Henderson, Oak Grove and Turfway Park in Florence – all of which operate on the Kambi platform. Caesars has a retail book at The Red Mile in Lexington. DraftKings has sportsbooks at Cumberland Run in Corbin and The Mint Williamsburg, while BetMGM opened one at Sandy’s Racing and Gaming in Ashland.

Handle figures released by the state following the path of most other markets that have both online and retail options – that is, the licensed online Kentucky sports betting apps are the preferred choice by most sports bettors in the state.

Kentucky Sports Betting, May vs. April

Kentucky sportsbooks experienced a near repeat in May of what they experienced in April, though the swings were not nearly as significant.

Sports bettors in the Bluegrass State wagered $209,561,145 in May, according to a report that the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation released online on June 30. That amount was down by 4.6% from the $219,760,439 that Kentucky sports betting operators accepted in April.

However, even with less action, the eight mobile apps and nine brick-and-mortar locations continued to enjoy higher revenues. Operators reported $25,703,060 in adjusted gross revenues in May. That represented an 8.4% improvement on the $23,711,149 they retained in April.

Online wagering remains the most popular way to bet in Kentucky with the apps taking $205,007,688 of the bets placed in May. That was down 4.4% from the $214,381,841 mobile operators accepted in April.

The apps also accounted for $25,124,394 of the revenue sportsbooks generated in May. That was also up 8.4% from April’s $23,186,399.

Sportsbooks producing higher revenues also means the state saw an increase to its coffers. The $3,524,902 in tax money for May was up 4.9% from April’s $3,360,317.

DraftKings Kentucky Sportsbook remains the most popular operator in the state as it posted a May handle of $76,906,702. FanDuel was a close second with $68,946,664, followed by bet365 at $20,208,877; Fanatics at $11,229,238; and Caesars at $9,987,300.

Churchill Downs’ sites in Louisville were the top retail sportsbook in the state as they reported a handle of $1,670,457. Other top brick-and-mortar sites for May were: Turfway Park ($714,331), Red Mile ($596,296), Kentucky Downs ($559,857) and Oak Grove ($373,034).

Kentucky’s sports betting figures for May do not include horse racing. Wagers on that sport, including the Kentucky Derby, are reported separately.

From a year-over-year perspective, May’s totals were significantly higher than they were in May 2024. The handle was up 15.6% from the $181,351,571 in bets placed 12 months earlier. Revenues jumped 21.5% from the $21,164,005 the operators reported a year ago.

Kentucky Mobile Sports Betting History