Kentucky Sportsbook Features & Promos

Every sportsbook is different, and it’s the features and promos that set them apart. Even in a market like Kentucky’s with currently seven betting apps, sports bettors will have tons of choices—some have better live betting options, some more favorable odds, others potentially more lucrative boosts and welcome offers. And sportsbooks can also differ in bet types, whether you’re looking to stick to basics or get creative with same-game parlays and alternate lines.

It all comes down to personal preference, and deciding which of those features and promo offers is right for you.

Kentucky Sports Betting Legal Path

Although the Bluegrass State has long allowed pari-mutuel wagering on horse races, Kentucky’s conservative state legislature was initially staunchly opposed to legal sports betting. But Gov. Andy Breshear was a proponent, pointing out that his state was surrounded by jurisdictions all offering legal sports betting. Bills to legalize sports betting were introduced annually, only to perish in committee.

The dam finally broke in 2023, when state lawmakers passed a bill that allotted each of the state’s nine horse racing tracks up to three sports betting skins each—allowing sports wagering while protecting horse racing at the same time. Retail betting launched on Sept. 7, 2023, with Breshear placing the first wager at Churchill Downs. Mobile betting followed three weeks later.

Home Field Advantage

While Kentucky does not have any major pro sports team, passion for sports runs rampant throughout the Bluegrass State. That’s especially true when it comes to college basketball and the Kentucky Wildcats, the most popular team in the commonwealth by an immense margin. Pro sports fans get their fix from major markets in neighboring states, largely Cincinnati and Nashville.

NCAA — Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals

College basketball fans largely bleed blue and white in Kentucky, where the beloved Wildcats have won eight national championships, second-most all-time. There’s also a fervent following for Louisville, which owns two national crowns. While neither program has been to the Final Four in a decade, there’s always next year. The 2023-24 hoops season was the first since sports betting was legalized in Kentucky, and expect college basketball to remain a large and robust segment of Bluegrass State sports betting going forward.

NFL— Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans

While there’s no NFL team in Kentucky, there are two very close by—the Bengals just across the Ohio River in Cincinnati, and the Titans an hour over the Tennessee line in Nashville. Both are fairly regular playoff contenders, with the Bengals reaching the Super Bowl following the 2021 season and reaching the AFC title game the next year. The NFL remains the dominant sports betting presence in Kentucky, just like it is everywhere else.

MLB — Cincinnati Reds

The Reds have huge fan bases on both sides of the Ohio River, though they haven’t given fans much to cheer about lately—they’ve made the playoffs just once in the last decade. But this remains a proud franchise, thanks to memories of the two World Series titles won by the Big Red Machine in the late 1970s, and the 1990 champions powered by Barry Larkin and Chris Sabo. Those days may be long gone, but a young roster provides some hope, and 162 games provides lots of betting opportunity as Kentuckians wait for basketball to begin again.