LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentuckians have bet nearly $3 billion on sports since it was legalized in 2023.
In the latest report from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, Kentuckians bet nearly $2.9 billion dollars from legalization in September of 2023 to October 2024.
Of that, $2.8 billion was from online bets. Kentucky took home more than $46 million.
Most of that money went directly into the state's pension fund.
The annual projected revenue from legalizing sports betting in the Commonwealth was $23 million.
Sports betting became a reality in Kentucky after a prolonged political fight. The state’s Republican-dominated Legislature finished work on the bill to legalize, regulate and tax sports wagering in March 2023 during the final hours of its annual session. Beshear quickly signed the measure into law.
Since then, Kentuckians have bet on major sporting events like March Madness and the Super Bowl.
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