Over the last two years, the Kentucky state legislature has attempted to push through sports betting legislation. To date, every attempt has been shot down. This is a problem for the residents of Kentucky who have been waiting their entire lives for a chance to legally wager on the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team from home.
Currently, Kentucky is surrounded by three states (Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee) that have already legalized some version of sports betting, be it retail, online, or both. Additionally, it is now looking very likely that neighboring Ohio will also be taking the sports betting plunge in the near future. That leaves Kentucky sports bettors with a lot of out-of-state options if they really want to legally bet on sports. That's of no benefit to the state because it is losing out on hundreds of millions in tax revenue every year.
There is one overriding issue that seems to be stalling attempts to pass sports betting legislation in Kentucky. This is a state that is dominated by the horse racing industry. Everyone on the planet has heard of the historic Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville. That's where the best three-year-old colts and fillies gather each May for the running of the Kentucky Derby. It turns out the horse racing industry is not too fond of splitting revenue with bookmakers.
There is currently some legislation going through the legislature that looks like it might have a chance of passing, maybe by February of 2022.
