This article is part of our Kentucky Sports Betting News series.
Sports betting in Kentucky hasn't gone live just yet, but it won't be long before some of the top sports betting sites are given the go to begin operations. No official launch date has been released yet, but most experts are hinting at a time frame between September 2023 and January 2024. Of course, it would behoove Kentucky sportsbooks for it to be the earlier of those dates so NFL and college football can boost those handle numbers to the moon.
In this article, we'll take a look at how local colleges and even nearby pro sports teams can impact the bottom dollar of Kentucky sports betting.
College Sports Betting In Kentucky
For starters, college sports betting in Kentucky will be allowed. This was a significant question during the legislation, considering schools like Kentucky and Louisville are extremely popular inside the Bluegrass – and they would inevitably be a huge catalyst on the business end. Some states like New Jersey and New York have legalized sports betting available for college athletics, but they are not allowed to bet on in-state schools. Other states like Connecticut and Massachusetts have similar rules but are allowed to bet on in-state schools during postseason tournaments.
Recently, Caesars Sportsbook became the first of the top credit card betting sites in Kentucky to partner up with local brands – Keeneland and Red Mile Racing. And now this opens the door for more partnerships from other sportsbooks with local properties – maybe even local teams.
Caesars Sportsbook does have partnerships with LSU and Michigan State, so it will be interesting to see if they – or another sportsbook – makes a move to engage in one with Kentucky or Louisville.
Cincinnati Bengals And NFL Betting In Kentucky
We all know that the NFL is king, and Kentucky will certainly be looking to one of the league's most popular teams to help boost its efforts. The Cincinnati Bengals, led by QB Joe Burrow and WR Ja'Marr Chase, have been lighting up the scoreboard for two straight seasons, creating highlight after highlight en route to two conference championship appearances – and one Super Bowl appearance.
As we mentioned in an article last week, the betting handle for NFL nearly doubles almost every other sport in the marketplace. If Kentucky does exceed expectations in sports betting, the Bengals will undoubtedly have a big part to do with it.
The top Kentucky sportsbooks will be looking to welcome new bettors with generous Kentucky sports betting promos. Keep an eye out for updates once the launch date has been announced.
Future Of Sports Betting In Kentucky
Allowing betting on in-state schools in Kentucky is going to be a huge draw for the sportsbooks, and it appears like this was known to legislators – which is why they allowed it. Most skeptics will argue that this will possibly influence the integrity of games, but there hasn't been a huge problem with it yet.
Schools like Kentucky and Louisville are in a great position now to make a lot of money from any of these sportsbooks. Having brand recognition with either fanbase will allow the PayPal betting sites that make this choice to possibly give out one-of-a-kind offers like tickets, on-court experiences, and so much more.
Time will tell if either school bites on one of these offers, and they might even take a year to think it over. However long it takes, it does set up to be quite a lucrative endeavor for both Kentucky and Louisville.
