CINCINNATI — A new bill recently introduced in the Kentucky legislature would legalize sports betting in the state. It’s the latest effort after previous failed attempts.

What You Need To Know

  •  A new bill aims to legalize sports betting in Kentucky

  •  In the meantime, Kentuckians are traveling to other states to place bets

  •  One Cincinnati sports book said it has had a lot of Kentucky bettors

  •  One bettor said he knows how Kentuckians feel

While they wait to see what happens here, many Kentuckians are flocking to surrounding states where sports betting is legal to place their bets.

One location they’re going to is Superbook Sports at Taft's Ale House in Cincinnati.

“It has been very interesting to see the amount of people who are traveling into Ohio to wager. While it is not as obvious at our retail location at SuperBook at Taft's, we do see many players who have Kentucky addresses and travel over to Ohio to wager,” said Kristin Mackey, vice president of marketing for SuperBook Sports. “We are following the legislation in many states as sports betting progresses throughout the U.S. and Kentucky will be on the radar for sure. Kentucky has a storied history in sports and incredible fans, so it will be very interesting to see the future of wagering in their state.”

Betting, of course, is not for everyone.

“I’m not a betting guy. But I would try it, because of that feeling of trying to win some money,” said Asador Demoz. “I think sports betting is a really good idea to have in the state of Ohio. It brings money into the state of Ohio.”

Demoz is right about the money. Ohio is not yet reporting its earnings from sports betting specifically since it became legal at the start of this year. Indiana, however, brought in $3,463,541 through its Sports Wagering Tax in January alone.

Steve Castillo is neither a Kentuckian nor an Ohioan. He was simply in Cincinnati, visiting from Missouri, when he spoke to Spectrum News 1. But Castillo understands how the Kentuckians who have to travel to other states to bet feel.

“We have to drive across the river to Kansas to go to one of their casinos out there, because they have a sports book in Kansas. But I can tell you it doesn’t deter us,” Castillo said. “I absolutely empathize with them having to drive across the way to spend their money in another state instead of their own home state.”

Mackey said early returns have been promising in Ohio.

“Sports betting in Ohio has not only met our expectations, but exceeded them. With the long history of SuperBook Sports, and the outstanding sports fans in Ohio, we feel like that has been a winning combination and we are excited to see how it continues to progress,” she said. “We are pleased with our current traffic and look forward to continuing to have more people discover a great sportsbook in the heart of downtown.” 

For now, Kentuckians will have to continue making the trip to other states.

“I would really hope Kentuckians all around the state get a chance at sports betting,” Demoz said.

The bill would require online gaming providers to associate with a Kentucky horse racing track. It would set the minimum sports betting age at 18.

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