Kentucky sports betting options released: NFL and esports enter, slap wars are over, pickleball is getting attention
Kentucky regulators on Thursday outlined dozens of professional and college games that will be eligible for wagering when new legal sportsbooks take effect next week.
Event Directory is published by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and covers all major professional leagues in the United States, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS, NHL, PGA and WNBA. The list includes a variety of other sports in the United States and abroad, including billiards, cornhole, cycling, darts, Olympic sports, and tennis. This also includes NASCAR and IndyCar sports, but not international Formula 1 competition.
College sports eligible for betting include football, basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, baseball and softball. Other events, such as women's volleyball, may be added in the future.
Kentucky is also tapping into the growing esports trend, allowing betting on eight video games, including Call of Duty, League of Legends, NBA 2K and Valorant.
Sports betting in Kentucky will begin on September 7 through sportsbooks at the state’s racetracks and satellite properties. Mobile sportsbooks will be able to accept bets starting September 28, but residents can register an account now.
To be included on the list, events must be run and reviewed by a governing body to ensure the competitiveness and integrity of the competition. Bets on penalty kicks etc. during matches are not accepted. Betting on award shows such as the Oscars is not available in Kentucky.
The list will likely be updated and more events may be added as mobile sports betting comes online, officials said Thursday.
UFC Entrance, Boxing Match
Bets on mixed martial arts will be limited to Ultimate Fighting Championship events, but regulators are avoiding newer, more brutal forms of combat sports such as boxing.
Concerns about how to draw the line were raised Thursday at a meeting of the Kentucky Sports Betting Advisory Committee, a group of commissioners and members at large that make recommendations to the Horse Racing Commission.
KHRC commissioner William May, a member of the advisory board, said he is unfamiliar with all types of mixed martial arts competitions. However, without pointing to specific incidents, he was concerned that some new strains seemed designed to cause as much suffering as possible to participants.
I do not want this body to recommend any activity that is designed to harm anyone,” May told the meeting.
Hans Stokke, the commission's director of sports betting, assured commissioners that the directory was compiled with these issues in mind.
"We don't want any confusing results in this directory," Stock said. "So there were some specific sports that we didn't consider after the review."
Includes LIV Golf
May also asked about the Saudi-backed LIV golf tour, which offered eye-popping prize money to some of its top stars ahead of its inaugural season last year. He asked: "Are these events competitive? Are there incentives for players to win?"
Stock said that while some stars received hefty signing bonuses, the overall structure of the league was geared toward team tournaments with bonuses. This structure and the establishment of the LIV governing body allow staff to easily add leagues to the betting directory.
Stock noted that LIV's potential merger with the PGA Tour, if it comes to fruition, would need to be re-evaluated. He said the new league would not simply be naturalized.
How about pickleball?
One notable omission from the list involves Jonathan Blue, an At-Large Advisory Board member and chairman of a Louisville private equity firm.
“I didn’t see any pickleball there,” Blue said at Thursday’s meeting. "I think it's the fastest growing sport in the world and it's everywhere at the moment. Everybody is building these stadiums and I know there are pro leagues everywhere. I'm just asking if this should be included or is your logic What?"
Stock agreed, but said the sport is still under review.
“It’s an exciting sport,” Stocker said. "We may consider this in the future once we are more familiar with the governing bodies that govern pickleball and are able to review them." Our research so far has not allowed us to make that much progress in pickleball, but we hope You can see it in the catalog in the future. "
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Source: www.casino.org