All About Kentucky Sports Betting Handle And Revenue

By Christopher Boan

@cgboan

December 29, 2025 11:31am

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, November vs. October

The penultimate month of the year delivered slightly disappointing numbers when it came to handle but excellent returns for Kentucky sports betting revenue and tax dollars generated.

November’s figures at legal, regulated sportsbooks, reported by the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation, set the stage for the final months’ worth of data in 2025. The total statewide sports betting handle in November was $333,593,944, down 1.9% from October’s record of $340,026,378. The Commonwealth’s mobile sports betting handle decreased 1.6%, from $329,580,318 (also a state record) the previous month to $324,440,593 in November.

During November, the total sports betting revenue (AGR) was $45,855,357, up 68.0% from October ($27,296,639) and mobile operators saw a slightly larger increase, a 68.8% spike from $26,543,883 in October to $44,812,512 last month.

That surge corresponded to a similar jump in total excise tax from sports betting. The state generated $6,465,161 in taxes for November, up 69.2% from October ($3,820,548), with mobile operators contributing $6,363,834 in November (a 69.4% increase from $3,756,747 the month before).

Kentucky’s leading mobile sports betting operator was DraftKings (Cumberland Run) at $126,180,998 in wagers accepted. The rest of the top five in handle were: FanDuel (Turfway Park) at $108,083,138, bet365 (Sandy’s) with $26,317,956, BetMGM (Sandy’s) at $22,040,771 and Red Mile (Caesars) with $16,408,577.

Kentucky Mobile Sports Betting History