Kentucky Sports Betting
Sports betting is legal in Kentucky. Retail sportsbooks opened on September 7, 2023, and mobile apps followed on September 28, 2023, under Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming. You must be 21 and physically in Kentucky to place a bet. Online casinos are not legal. This guide lists every sportsbook and prediction market available in Kentucky, what each sign-up offer is worth when hedged, and the order to claim them.
Kentucky Sportsbooks and Prediction Markets
Every sportsbook, prediction market and sweepstakes book that accepts players here, with how each is regulated and whether it limits winning bettors.
Circa
ProphetX
BroThrow
Kalshi
FanDuel
Fliff
CaesarsCaesars
DraftKingsDraftKings
BetMGM
Fanatics
The Score
bet365
NoVigNoVig
Polymarket USStatuses come from our sportsbook records and the regulator's list. Check the regulator before depositing if anything has changed.
Kentucky Sportsbook Promos
Listed in the order to claim them. The order changes with your starting bankroll.
Approximate value is what each offer converts to when you bet both sides, at the odds available when we checked. Actual returns depend on offer availability, market conditions, and individual execution.
Notes: bet105 is an offshore crypto only sportsbook.
Notes: Signup with promo code "DHO".
Notes: If your first bet on BroThrow loses they will reimburse you up to $10.
OzoonNotes: 5x Rollover requirement. Any wagers using deposited funds or bonus funds prior to bonus completion are subject to a max of 50% of deposited amount.
Sportsbetting.agNotes: Verify the promo code for the 50% deposit match is applied before making your first deposit.
Sportsbetting.ag has restrictions on using Free Bets that reduces their value to ~50%. Learn more in our Sportsbetting.ag review.
- Football, Basketball, Soccer & Tennis Free Bets can only be used on spreads and totals to max odds of +150.
- Baseball and Hockey Free Bets can only be used on Moneylines and Totals to max odds of +150.
- Baseball and Hockey Free Bets are restricted to a maximum wager of $500 per event.
- MMA Free Bets can only be used on Moneylines to max odds of -200 for the favorite and +150 for the underdog.
Notes: Kalshi is a CFTC regulated prediction market, not a traditional sportsbook.
BetOnlineNotes: Verify the promo code for the 50% deposit match is applied before making your first deposit.
BetOnline has restrictions on using Free Bets that reduces their value to ~50%. Learn more in our BetOnline review.
- Football, Basketball, Soccer & Tennis Free Bets can only be used on spreads and totals to max odds of +150.
- Baseball and Hockey Free Bets can only be used on Moneylines and Totals to max odds of +150.
- Baseball and Hockey Free Bets are restricted to a maximum wager of $500 per event.
- MMA Free Bets can only be used on Moneylines to max odds of -200 for the favorite and +150 for the underdog.
FanDuelNotes: None.
BetUSNotes: 125% Sign-Up Bonus up to $2,000 on your first, second and third deposits.
- Minimum deposit: $100
- 100% Sports Bonus – up to $2,500
- 14X Rollover on Sports
- 25% Casino Bonus – up to $625
- 30X Rollover on Casino Games for Release and Cash out.
- Max cash out for Casino Bonus is $2,500
- 7-Days Expiry
FliffCaesarsNotes: Ten 100% profit boosts with a max bet of $25.
Lucky RebelNotes: 10x Rollover requirement. Any wagers using deposited funds or bonus funds prior to bonus completion are subject to a max of 50% of deposited amount.
CaesarsNotes: None.
DraftKingsNotes: DK calls Site Credit DK Dollars. They are a 1x playthrough, but the initial deposit match is released at 25x. Meaning, for every $25 bet $1 of Site Credit is added to your account and automatically applied to your next bet. Minimum odds -300 and 90 days to meet the playthrough requirement. Be sure to use the sportsbook app/webpage. It is easy to accidentally use the casino or daily fantasy app/webpage. When making your first deposit, edit the deposit amount to $5,000 before linking the deposit method. This offer can be used to hedge other signup offers.
BovadaNotes: The 75% match on a $1,000 deposit is available when using crypto to deposit, and a promo code is required. The rollover is 5x on sports.
Notes: None
BetMGMNotes: None
MyBookieNotes: 10x rollover requirement on the deposit and bonus results in a total wager requirement of $30,000.
FanaticsNotes: None.
The ScoreNotes: Refunded as five Bonus Bets.
bet365Notes: You have to select the offer. If bet365 does not immediately accept a $1,000 bet they will ask if you want to send the bet to the trading team for review. Do not do this. If they reject the full $1,000 they will automatically accept a lower amount and only that amount will count towards the $1,000 Second Chance Bet.
NoVigNotes: Use Promo Code "DHO100" for 100% off your first purchase up to $100 off. Can only choose one of the two NoVig Offers.
NoVigNotes: Use Promo Code "DHO" for 50% off your first purchase of $25. Can only choose one of NoVig's two offers.
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Notes: Polymarket.com is a prediction market, not a traditional sportsbook.
Notes: Polymarket US is a CFTC regulated prediction market, not a traditional sportsbook.
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Prediction Markets in Kentucky
Status: contested. Last verified October 2, 2026.
Prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket US are regulated federally by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Kentucky treats their sports event contracts as unlicensed sports wagering. On June 17, 2026, Attorney General Russell Coleman sued Kalshi, Polymarket and partner brokers in state court, seeking an injunction, civil penalties and repayment of Kentuckians' losses. Kalshi complaint
Kentucky also passed two laws aimed at prediction markets in 2026. One bars licensed sportsbooks from working with them in Kentucky. The other adds a 14.25% excise tax on their transaction fees. On June 23, 2026, the CFTC sued Kentucky to stop the lawsuits and the tax. CFTC press release
Kentucky is in the Sixth Circuit, which ruled for Ohio and Tennessee on September 25, 2026, holding that sports event contracts are not swaps and that states may enforce their gambling laws against them. The Third Circuit sided with Kalshi in New Jersey, so the Supreme Court may settle the question. Read the opinion
Prediction markets matter for matched betting because they do not limit winning traders. Check each app for current availability in Kentucky before you deposit.
This section is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice.
Online Casinos in Kentucky
Online casinos are not legal in Kentucky. The state has no commercial casinos. Historical horse racing machines operate at licensed racetracks and their extensions.
Sweepstakes casinos are under legal pressure in Kentucky. On June 17, 2026, Attorney General Russell Coleman sued VGW, the company behind Chumba Casino, Global Poker and LuckyLand Slots, alleging it runs unlawful casinos. Sweepstakes sites are not licensed by the state, so they offer fewer customer protections. The Sweepstakes Casino Overview explains how they work.
Kentucky Sports Betting Law and Timeline
- December 17, 2020: The Kentucky Supreme Court reinstated a judgment of about $1.3 billion against PokerStars under the state's gambling loss recovery law, for money Kentuckians lost on the offshore site from 2006 to 2011. PokerStars' appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was later dismissed after the parties agreed to end the case. U.S. Supreme Court docket 21-275
- March 31, 2023: Governor Andy Beshear signed House Bill 551, which legalized sports betting in Kentucky. The law set a 9.75% tax on retail sports betting revenue and 14.25% on online revenue. Governor's office announcement, HB 551 legislative record
- September 7, 2023: Retail sports betting launched. Governor Beshear placed the first legal bet at Churchill Downs. AP report
- September 28, 2023: Online and mobile sports betting launched statewide. Sports betting is now regulated by Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming. Current licence holders can be found with the regulator's sports wagering licensee search. Governor's office update via NKyTribune
- April 14, 2026: The General Assembly overrode Governor Beshear's veto of House Bill 904. It raised the sports betting age from 18 to 21 and barred licensed sportsbooks from working with prediction markets in Kentucky. HB 904 legislative record
- April 14, 2026: House Bill 757 became law after veto overrides. It created a 14.25% excise tax on prediction market operators' transaction fees. HB 757 legislative record
- June 17, 2026: Attorney General Russell Coleman sued Kalshi and Polymarket in Franklin Circuit Court, calling their sports event contracts unlicensed sports wagering. The Kalshi suit also names Robinhood, Webull and Coinbase. Kalshi complaint, Polymarket complaint
- June 23, 2026: The Commodity Futures Trading Commission sued Kentucky, arguing the state's lawsuits and new prediction market tax intrude on federal jurisdiction. CFTC press release
- July 15, 2026: The minimum age for sports betting rose to 21. KRS 230.805
- September 25, 2026: The Sixth Circuit, the federal appeals court that covers Kentucky, ruled for Ohio and Tennessee in KalshiEX LLC v. Schuler, holding that Kalshi's sports event contracts are not swaps under the Commodity Exchange Act. Sixth Circuit opinion
Offshore and unlicensed betting
Kentucky law says sports wagering may not be offered in the state except by operators licensed by Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming. KRS 230.805(2), KRS 230.811(1). Offshore sportsbooks hold no Kentucky license. The penalty section of the gaming chapter does not list a separate crime for unlicensed sports wagering. KRS 230.990. Under the criminal code, running or profiting from unlawful gambling, including bookmaking, is promoting gambling, a felony or misdemeanor depending on scale. KRS Chapter 528
No Kentucky statute names offshore or online sportsbooks, and bettors are not criminally liable: the criminal code excludes people who gamble only as a player. Instead, Kentucky treats unauthorized gambling as void and lets losers, or the state on their behalf, sue to recover losses, up to three times the amount. KRS Chapter 372. The state used this law to win a judgment of about $1.3 billion against offshore site PokerStars, reinstated by the Kentucky Supreme Court on December 17, 2020. U.S. Supreme Court docket
This section is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice. Availability of sportsbooks and promotions varies by state and may change. Verify current offerings before signing up.
Kentucky Sports Betting FAQ
Is sports betting legal in Kentucky?
Yes. Retail sports betting has been legal since September 7, 2023, and mobile betting since September 28, 2023. Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming licenses and regulates every sportsbook.
How old do you have to be to bet on sports in Kentucky?
You must be 21 or older. The minimum age rose from 18 to 21 on July 15, 2026.
Can you bet in Kentucky if you live in another state?
Yes. You need to be physically located in Kentucky when you place the bet, not a resident. Sportsbook apps check your location before accepting a wager.
Is Kalshi legal in Kentucky?
It is contested. Kentucky's attorney general sued Kalshi on June 17, 2026, calling its sports contracts illegal sports betting, and the CFTC has sued Kentucky in response. Check the Kalshi app for current availability in Kentucky.
Is online gambling legal in Kentucky?
Online sports betting is legal. Online casinos are not. The attorney general has sued sweepstakes casino operator VGW, alleging its sites are unlawful.
Can you use a credit card at Kentucky sportsbooks?
Yes. Kentucky law lists credit cards as an accepted way to fund a sportsbook account, though some card issuers decline gambling transactions.
Is it legal to use offshore sportsbooks in Kentucky?
Offshore sportsbooks are not licensed in Kentucky, and state law says sports wagering may only be offered by licensed operators. No Kentucky statute makes it a crime for a bettor to use one, but those bets are void under Kentucky law and you get none of the protections of a licensed sportsbook.
Before You Start
Nearby State Guides
Sign-up offers only work where you are physically located. If you spend time across a state line, each state's guide lists what you can claim there.
