Kentucky could be the next US state to legalise sports betting

Kentucky is likely to be the next state to legalise sports betting in the United States of America if a prediction by a prominent lawmaker comes to fruition.

According to the horse racing magazine, Blood Horse, the majority floor leader of the Kentucky Senate, Damon Thayer, has indicated to the Sports Wagering and Impact on Horse Racing Symposium that the crafting of a bipartisan legislation to govern sports betting is underway ahead of a 30-day legislative session that begins on January 8, 2019.

Thayer conceded that revenue from sports betting will not match that from slot machine gaming. He was, however, quick to add that revenue from sports betting will compete favourably with what is generated by casinos.

“I think we can put together a group of Democrats and Republicans to pass this bill,” he said.

“I don’t want us to be one of the last states to pass sports wagering. I want us to be one of the first 10 states to pass sports wagering, and I want it to support the horse (racing) industry.”

Currently, states like Delaware, Mississippi, and New Jersey are the states outside Nevada that have fully operational legal sports betting after the Supreme Court ruling in May this year.

That aside, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia have passed have passed bills but not implemented them. Fourteen other states have introduced bull but have not been passed them.

Gaming companies are also lacing their boots to take advantage of the huge US gambling market estimated at $500 billion.