All About Kentucky Sports Betting Handle And Revenue

By Steve Bittenbender

@BittGDCG

September 2, 2025 05:30pm

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 follow 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, July vs. June

With fewer major sporting events on the calendar, July is considered one of the slowest months for sports betting, and that was precisely the case in Kentucky. Bluegrass State bettors wagered $161,423,832 during the month, the smallest handle in nearly a year, according to data that the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation reported on Sept. 2.

July’s handle fell 7.7% from the $174,823,575 wagered in June. However, it also rose nearly 30% from the $129,119,327 handle reported for July 2024 in a year-over-year comparison.

Sportsbook revenues dipped even more month over month. The state’s licensees generated $17,291,097 in July. That was down 23.5% from the $22,600,854 they earned in June.

Online wagering again remains the dominant method for sports bettors statewide. In June, the state’s licensed online operators – now nine of them thanks to the arrival of Prime Kentucky Sportsbook – accounted for 98.2% of the handle, or $158,444,554. Those approved apps also earned 98.2% of the revenue, or $16,975,592.

As revenues declined, the state’s cut did as well. Kentucky’s sports betting tax, which is 14.25% of adjusted gross online revenue and 9.75% of adjusted gross retail revenue, generated $2.438,301 in July. That’s 23.7% less than $3,197,133 in the previous month.

Kentucky’s top online sportsbooks (by handle) for July were: DraftKings ($57,279,170); FanDuel ($52,556,579); bet365 ($16,976,777); Fanatics ($8,241,663); and Caesars ($8,113,782).

The busiest retail sportsbooks in July were: Churchill Downs ($864,328); Turfway Park ($641,581); Red Mile ($533,642); Oak Grove ($382,625); and Kentucky Downs ($334,894).

Kentucky Mobile Sports Betting History