Proposed Kentucky Sports Gambling Law Increases Minimum Age, Adds New Bets and Guardrails

After less than three years, the Kentucky General Assembly is tweaking the state’s sports gambling laws. Most of House Bill 904 relates to the horse industry, but there’s one big change that will strike a chord with many sports fans across the state.

The new law, which now goes to Governor Andy Beshear’s desk to be signed or vetoed, would increase the minimum age for sports gambling from 18 to 21. This age limit does not apply to slot machines, horse racing, or fantasy betting contests. Kentucky is taxing fantasy betting for the first time.

The new age requirement is the biggest issue in play, but there are a few other additions to House Bill 904 that will impact wagerers.

Prop Bet Unders are OUT

States like Tennessee prohibit all prop bets on college athletes. The idea is to prevent bad actors from tampering with the athletes to fix an outcome. It should also limit some of the harassment athletes receive from losers who don’t cash tickets.

Kentucky legislators kicked around the idea of eliminating prop bets on college athletes. If the bill is signed into law, you will still be able to bet over 1.5 Kenny Minchey touchdowns this fall, but you cannot take an under college player prop.

No Child Support? No Sports Gambling

This is a fun little wrinkle. People who are more than $500 behind on child support payments cannot make sports wagers. A registry will be circulated amongst the operators to keep those folks off the apps.

Horse Racing Adds Fixed Odds

Fixed-odds wagering on horse races is a popular practice overseas. It’s slowly making its way to the states, with Kentucky becoming the fourth state to license it.

The pari-mutuel boards constantly change ahead of a horse race, with wagers on each horse impacting its odds. With fixed odds, the line is set early in the process and does not change.

Is this good or bad for horse players? I think most will want to tinker with it to determine which they prefer, but the initial reaction is positive. CAW (Computer Assisted Wagering) has become a three-letter word in the sport. Spreadsheet warriors use algorithms to place hundreds of wagers instantly, typically as the horses are entering the gate, causing drastic changes in the odds right as the race starts. Big bets by CAW players can’t blow up the value on a horse in fixed-odds racing.

The Daily Racing Form reached out to all of the track operators, and it’s unclear if and when fixed-odds wagers will be available to play in races.

Another Horse Racing Wrinkle

This part of the law is specific to breeding. According to the DRF, The Jockey Club threatened to cap the number of times a mare can breed with a stallion, citing genetic diversity concerns. An amendment to this law prevents The Jockey Club from placing a breeding cap between mares and stallions.