FLORENCE, Ky. — People around the country are calling in sick to work to watch the opening rounds of NCAA basketball tournaments.
In Kentucky, many are headed to the state's several racetracks with sportsbooks to place bets on the games, including Turfway Park Gaming and Racing in Florence.
It's Kentucky's first March Madness with legal sports betting, and Ray Gardinier doesn’t need any excuse to visit the sportsbook.
“I’m here every night, man, maybe three, four times a day," he said. "I mean, I just love it. I absolutely love it."
"I used to go to Indiana all the time. I mean, I used to have to wait in line for over an hour on football days. I can walk in here any time of the day; there are no lines. I’m looking forward to betting on Kentucky. Hopefully, they score over 92 points today.”
Thursday's crowd was even better than what Turfway expected when sports betting became legal last year.
“We had big expectations, and I think we’ve exceeded those,” said Crystal Jackson, director of marketing for Turfway Racing and Gaming. “It's been really nice for our guests that were having to travel to other states to place their wagers and their bets. Now, they can do it here in their backyard.”
Sports betting has already generated millions for Kentucky in tax revenue. The total handle could approach $300 million for the month of March, said Stephen Bittenbender, writer and analyst for betkentucky.com. That would encompass all sports for March, but most of that would be on college basketball and would be a record month for Kentucky.
The longer the University of Kentucky (UK) stays in the tournament, the likelihood increases for a handle of that size, Bittenbender said. He added it also helps to have Morehead State and Western Kentucky University (WKU) in the tournament. Operators are also increasing promotional spending to encourage existing bettors to get in on the action.
There should be increased interest in the women's tournament as well, Bittenbender said, with a possible second-round matchup of Louisville (UofL) and Louisiana State (LSU). Kentucky is one of the few states that allow prop bets on college players, and having those additional markets should help attract more wagering, especially for the women's tournament, he said.
Gardinier said he has bet responsibly and isn't worried at all about getting addicted.
"I mean, I’m 58 years old," he said. "I’ve been doing this a long time; that’s another reason this is good ... I’m from New York originally, and trust me, I know all about that.”
More information about Turfway can be found on its website.