Most people don't know this fact, but sports bettors can wager in Kentucky at 18 years of age. It's not a common law throughout the United States as not many states have chosen to go in this direction.
In this article, we'll take a look at the idea of having 18-year-olds wagering at Kentucky sportsbooks. Some states are opposed to it, possibly seeing some of their customer base take a hit in the future, while others think it's purely unethical.
Controversy in Kentucky Allowing Sports Bettors To Wager At 18 Years Of Age
Of course, a move of this magnitude doesn't come without scrutiny. In a recent interview, Ohio Casino Control Commission Executive Director Matt Schuler offered up some criticism. "I absolutely hate the idea that individuals under 21 can go across the border, open an account and bet," he said. "I think it's horrible."
That could be why Schuler was so upset – Ohio would stand to lose some customers because of Kentucky's rule. In fact, no other surrounding states in the area allow 18-year-olds to wager on sports, and that could be a big selling point for the Bluegrass State once it goes live, with the top betting apps likely to offer Kentucky sports betting promos to entice new bettors.
Which States Allow Sports Bettors To Wager At 18 Years Of Age?
There are currently six states that allow sports bettors to wager 18 years of age: Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wyoming. When Kentucky eventually goes live in late 2023 or early 2024, it will become the seventh.
Perhaps the most surprising of these states to allow sports betting at 18 years of age would be New York, which has made plenty of news of its own over the last few years. Sports betting was recently legalized there, and you could probably look to neighboring New Jersey as a reason why they allowed 18 years age of age to be the legal minimum. Before New York had sports betting legalized with the top PayPal betting sites, many residents from the Empire State would make the voyage across the river to place their bets.
Future Of Sports Betting In Kentucky
States that allow the minimum age of 18 years old for sports betting know that they are taking a risk. Of course, this comes in the ethical sense considering people that young might not be able to handle sports betting. Or, it could come in the form of fines. Ohio has been quite proactive in its efforts to make sure the legalized age remains at 21. DraftKings, one of the top credit card betting sites, was fined $350,000 after it was found out that more than 2,000 mailers promoting their app had reached underaged recipients in Ohio. Barstool Sports, which flies under the Penn Sports Interactive flag, was fined $250,000 after promoting the betting app during a live show at the University of Toledo.
In the long run, it would appear that states like Kentucky need to take some sort of risk while trying to accomplish the goal of bringing in as much money to the state as possible. Time will tell if this works out for the Bluegrass State, but the hope is that everything runs smoothly and people make some money in the process.
This article is part of our Kentucky Sports Betting News series.
