Legal Gambling > State Gambling > Kentucky Gambling

1. Does Kentucky Allow Gambling
2. Kentucky Gambling Laws
3. Is Gambling Illegal In Kentucky
4. Is Sports Gambling Legal In Kentucky
5. Is Gambling Legal In Kentucky
6. Legal Gambling Age

If you want to know everything you can about Kentucky Gambling, then we have a treat for you. We have sifted through everything related to gambling in Kentucky in order to provide would be players an overview of the games. Kentucky has some historical gambling options, including the Kentucky Derby. While you may want to visit the track once a year, there are other forms of gambling that you can enjoy if you look hard enough. The Internet has opened up a whole new level of gambling in Kentucky. There is no form of gambling that has been left off the Internet, so you will have plenty of options available when you decide to start gambling.

Kentucky Gambling Resources

Kentucky Legal Gambling Age - While you will see very few restrictions with gambling online in the state of Kentucky, you will have one universal truth to which you must adhere. The Kentucky Legal Gambling Age is 21 and you will have to reach this age before you do anything. If you fail to abide by this law you may not only risk losing your money without a chance to win, but you could also face charges.

Kentucky Gambling Laws - As with the legal gambling age, Kentucky Gambling is subject to some other statutes. The Kentucky Gambling Laws are of key importance if you want to avoid criminal charges. We have listed the laws in order to show readers what is legal and what is not.

Is Online Gambling Legal in Kentucky? - When faced with the choices of Kentucky Legal Online Gambling you may have a tough decision. This decision lies in the fact that you will have many options to choose from. First and foremost, you will have to choose which form of gambling to enjoy. You will then be faced with a list of different entities offering these gambling choices. We have rooted out a number of casinos, poker rooms, and sports betting sites in order for our readers to experience the best that online gambling has to offer.

Are Online Casinos Legal in Kentucky? - Even if you cannot travel to a casino in Kentucky, we have found a vast supply of Kentucky Legal Online Casinos. Online casinos are some of the most popular of all gambling sites. Gambling in Kentucky is most easily achieved through these casinos. No matter what casino game you may be looking for, you will assuredly find it through these online casinos.

Is Online Sports Betting Legal in Kentucky? - Horse races are the closest thing you will get to legal sports betting in the state of Kentucky if you do not use the Kentucky Legal Online Sports Betting sites. Online sportsbooks are infinitely safer than any other form of sports betting, as well as one of the few legal ways to do so. All sports, rather than just horse races, can be bet on through these book makers.

In the state of Kentucky, placing bets with a physical sportsbook or with a bookie is illegal. It is also illegal to own or operate and online sportsbook business within the state’s borders. There are no opportunities for legal state regulated sports betting in Kentucky. Kentucky is known for being one of the states that stricter regarding gambling legislation. Along with following the federal laws that directly affect gambling and sports betting in the states, Kentucky has created their own state laws that restrict and regulates all forms of gambling within the state. There is no specific statute in Kentucky that governs online gambling’s legality. However, given the restrictive nature of the state’s laws with regard to gambling in general (basically everything is unlawful except horse racing), it’s a dodgy proposition to engage in online gambling in Kentucky. There is one gigantic exception.

Is Online Poker Legal in Kentucky? - If you are a fan of poker and do not like the limits that are found in any card room, then consider Kentucky Legal Online Poker as an option. Online poker allows players the freedom of choosing their own stakes, what games they want to play, and much more. Online poker is not only a great way to learn the game or games, but also a money maker for the lucky players who win.

• Year Kentucky Regulated Gambling: Horseracing (1783), Lottery (1988), Historical Racing (2010)
• Estimated Tax Revenue from Gambling: unknown
• Estimated Gambling Revenue: unknown
• Kentucky Gambling Age: 18
• Smoking ban: Kentucky does not have a smoking ban
• Kentucky Online gambling: Off-track betting

Kentucky is considered the home of horse racing in the U.S. The Kentucky Derby, one of the best-known horse races in the world, is hosted at Churchill Downs in the state. Kentucky was home to the first known horse race in the country in 1783. The state has always accepted that its residents and tourists visit Bluegrass Country to take in the races and wager a few dollars.

While gambling on horses has always been embraced, it has not been quick to expand into Kentucky casinos. There is a state lottery in Kentucky. Instant racing, which are slot machines that display winning symbols based on past races, started appearing at racetracks earlier this decade. Kentucky racetracks may also offer off-track betting. Charities can offer games of chance with limited prizes and a number of events.

Paying Gambling Taxes in Kentucky

OnlineUnitedStatesCasinos has gathered everything you need to know about paying taxes on your gambling winnings straight from a Certified Public Accountant. Find out how you can report your gambling income to the IRS with our in-depth Gambling Taxes Guide. Learn which forms you have to fill out, how to report your winnings, as well as deduct losses.

Kentucky Casinos Map & Guide of Racetracks

• Ellis Park – Henderson
• Red Mile – Lexington

• Number of B&M Casinos: 0
• Number of Poker Rooms: 0
• Number of Indian Casinos: 0

Types of Kentucky Online Gambling

The only form of legal Kentucky online gambling is off-track betting on horses. These wagers may be placed on websites and apps belonging to companies like TVG, Twinspires, and BetAmerica. TwinSpires is based in Kentucky. It is owned by Churchill Downs.

Daily fantasy sites claim legality under Kentucky’s skill gaming laws. While the state attorney general and its legislature have not addressed daily fantasy sports, some sour gamblers have filed lawsuits against the companies in an attempt to recover losses through qui tam laws. These cases are still in the court system.

Online poker, casino, and sports betting sites are not legal in Kentucky. The state has filed its own qui tam lawsuits to recover losses for the state’s residents. One judgment against PokerStars compelled the site to pay Kentucky $870 million. That case is under appeal. The state also filed a lawsuit in an attempt to seize 141 domain names from gambling sites.

Types of Live Kentucky Gambling

• Slots: No
• Blackjack: No
• Poker: No
• Craps/Roulette: No
• Horses: Yes
• Lottery: Yes

There are three types of live Kentucky gambling available to residents. A state lottery sells scratch-off and lotto tickets. This includes interstate drawings. Popular games include Lucky for Life, Pick 3, Pick 4, 5 Card Cash, Powerball, and Mega Millions.

There are six Kentucky racetracks. All offer horse tracks. Greyhound racing is not legal in Kentucky. All six tracks offer off-track betting on horses.

Kentucky Downs, Ellis Park, and Red Mile offer a controversial form of gambling that is working its way through the court system. These two tracks offer instant racing machines. These devices are programmed with thousands of past horse races. Players put cash into the machine and make a wager. The machine pulls one of these historical races and displays the reels on the device to match a payout similar to what the event would have paid. These are described as historical racing machines. Some consider them to be slot machines because that is exactly how they look and feel. The only difference is how the position of the reels is determined.

There are currently no Kentucky casinos operating at the moment. There is legislation that racetracks are trying to pass so that they can legally offer more popular electronic casino games, like electronic blackjack and roulette. We may see the racetracks and Kentucky casinos legislation combine and form “racinos” that are already popular in other states.

Kentucky Gambling Laws

Kentucky gambling laws define gambling as,

“staking or risking something of value on the outcome of a contest, game, gaming scheme, or gaming device which is based upon an element of chance, in accord with an agreement or understanding that someone will receive something of value in the event of a certain outcome.”

It only exempts the state lottery, horse racing, and arguably, instant racing machines. Charities may operate bingo games and raffles.

Promoting gambling is a Class A misdemeanor or Class D felony, depending on the charges. The minimum gambling age in Kentucky is 18 years for lottery, racing, and instant racing bettors.

Where to Gamble in Kentucky

Does Kentucky Allow Gambling

There are more than 1,000 lottery retailers in Kentucky. There are also dozens of charitable organizations that offer bingo and similar games to raise funds for nonprofit operations.

Outside of these options, there are only six Kentucky racetracks to gamble at. You might consider these racetracks to be Kentucky casinos, as they already have permission to offer racing machines, which are very similar to slot machines. This may be the start of new Kentucky gambling legislation.

Kentucky Gambling Laws

You can look for the specific racetrack you want to wager at on our Kentucky casinos map and guide located above.

History of Kentucky Gambling

Is Gambling Illegal In Kentucky

Horse racing dates back to 1783 in Kentucky. That is nine years before it became a state. The first organized racing venue was created in Louisville. It was called Elm Tree Gardens. Racing spread to Lexington in 1787 where horses competed in The Commons. Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, opened in 1883.

Kentucky did not regulate horse racing like it does today in its early years. It was simply impossible to control pari-mutuel pools and organize the tracks and horses centuries ago. It took until the early 1900’s for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to be created. Tracks have come and gone over the years. There are five in operation today. This makes Kentucky one of the most thriving states when it comes to horseracing.

Is Sports Gambling Legal In Kentucky

The first legal lottery in Kentucky was held in 1792. It occurred in an attempt to fundraise for a church in Lexington. The Kentucky Lottery that exists today was created through a November 1988 constitutional referendum. The first ticket was sold in April 1989. The Kentucky Lottery sells scratch-off and lotto tickets.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission modified its regulations to permit instant racing machines in 2010. These games mimic slot machines. The devices display slot symbols in a pattern to show the payout of a horse race based in the past. The exact race is never known. The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that the racing commission had the authority to legalize these games. Anti-gambling groups are still fighting instant racing in the courts. Kentucky Downs, Ellis Park, and Red Mile offer instant racing, and can be considered to be the only Kentucky casinos operating today.

Kentucky has been the home of two disputes with offshore online gambling sites. In 2008, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear’s office initiated a lawsuit in an attempt to seize 141 domain names related to gambling. Major sites were included in the list. Big names like PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker, DoylesRoom and Cake Poker were among them. The case dragged out until 2014 when a state appeals court essentially quashed it. This case was the beginning of offshore gaming sites moving to domains that do not use the .com extension. Kentucky received a small settlement related to Black Friday due to this case before it ultimately failed.

Kentucky is also the venue where PokerStars was sued for $290 million for accepting players in the state. Government officials alleged that PokerStars operated illegally and should be compelled to pay the state for its residents’ gambling losses under qui tam laws. The alleged events occurred from 2006 to 2011.

These loss recovery laws permit anybody to recover illegal gambling losses if the loser does not act within six months. A lower court awarded the $290 million as well as treble damages, making the total judgment $870 million. The case is currently under appeal

PokerStars was owned by Rational Group at the time the lawsuit is based. It has since been acquired by Amaya Gaming. The new owners of PokerStars have vowed to fight the case or pursue the former owners if it ultimately loses the legal battle.

Kentucky Casinos & Gambling FAQ

Yes. Kentucky is considered the home of the horse racing industry in the country.

Yes. There are six race books in Kentucky.

The only form of online betting legal in Kentucky is off-track horse racing.

No, only horse racing.

No, the closest thing to casinos in the state is instant racing machines. There are casinos in West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.

The minimum Kentucky gambling age is 18 years for all legal forms of gambling, including lottery and racing bets.

Yes, the Kentucky Lottery sells scratch-off and lotto tickets.

Lottery sales are not permitted over the Internet.

Is Gambling Legal In Kentucky

None of these types of websites are licensed to operate in Kentucky.

Legal Gambling Age

There is currently a court battle over alleged illegal online gambling where a lower court ruled PokerStars owes Kentucky $870 million. It is currently under appeal.