Sports betting in Kentucky will be going live in the coming months, and we know everyone is excited to get started. It's even better that residents don't have to go to neighboring states in order to place their wagers. Now, they can be in the comfort of their own home when using the best sports betting apps.
Even though Kentucky doesn't have any professional teams, you can bet your bottom dollar that bettors will be invested. In this article, we'll take a look at which professional sports teams are closest to Kentucky, and how that could bolster the sports betting market in the Bluegrass State.
Cincinnati Bengals Betting In Kentucky
Cincinnati is the closest major city to most Kentucky residents, considering it is practically on the Kentucky-Ohio border to the North. Indianapolis and Nashville aren't too far from the Kentucky border either, so they will be heard from as well.
But if you ask most Kentucky residents, they will certainly claim that the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals are their favorite team – especially nowadays. The Bengals have been fantastic over the last two seasons, making the Super Bowl two seasons ago while falling just short in the AFC Championship Game last season.
QB Joe Burrow is one of the league's most popular players, and WR Ja'Marr Chase is turning into one of the best at his position right in front of our eyes. A budding rivalry has formed with the Kansas City Chiefs (who face the Bengals on New Year's Eve this season), and you can only imagine the Bengals are going to produce a huge betting handle on Kentucky sportsbooks when they launch with the best Kentucky betting promos.
Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans Betting In Kentucky
On the other hand, the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans are both in rebuild mode. Neither team will likely move the needle on future bets, but fans of these teams will want to make things interesting each Sunday on these sports betting sites.
As we highlighted earlier this week, sports betting in Kentucky will likely be dominated by the NFL betting markets. Having proximity to Indianapolis and Tennessee can only help the Kentucky market, considering most fans in other states won't garner a huge interest in the Colts or Titans. Although, one of the more intriguing bets is for Colts rookie QB Anthony Richardson's NFL's OROY odds.
MLB & NBA Sports Betting In Kentucky
When it comes to sports outside the NFL, every other one will be fighting for second place. Of course, Kentucky and Louisville during the college basketball and football seasons will be popular among in-state residents. But the pro sports will likely make some noise here as well.
When it comes to MLB betting, the Cincinnati Reds are playing some exciting baseball and have a decent fanbase from the surrounding areas. There isn't a ton of immediate competition to the Reds, with only the Cleveland Indians in Northern Ohio as their only real threat.
The NBA is an interesting case study, with the Indiana Pacers as the nearest team to Kentucky. The Pacers aren't exactly a main-attraction franchise and the Memphis Grizzlies in neighboring Tennessee are all the way at the Southwest corner of the state. Regardless, the NBA probably does have the best fighting chance to bring in a betting handle for Kentucky since it's such a widely popular league driven by star power.
Time will tell which "local" sports help Kentucky's betting handle the most, but we can probably give that crown to the city of Cincinnati without much hesitation.
This article is part of our Kentucky Sports Betting News series.
