Legal sports betting opens to fanfare in Kentucky; governor makes the first wager at Churchill Downs
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has placed a $20 bet to signal that legal sports wagering is off and running in the Bluegrass State
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear plunked down a $20 bet Thursday on two home-state college football teams — and against an arch-nemesis school — in a quick transaction signaling that legal sports wagering is off and running in the Bluegrass State.
The Democratic governor placed the first sports bet at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, fulfilling a pledge that his administration would launch sports wagering in time for the NFL regular season.
“This is entertainment,” Beshear said. “It’s what Kentuckians were looking for. It’s going to boost tourism. It’s going to make sure we don’t lose that many people to Vegas in the first couple rounds in the NCAA tournament."
With an eye toward public approval from voters in a state election year, the governor bet that the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville football teams will win more games this season than oddsmakers predict. A third part of the $20 parlay, all of which must happen for Beshear to cash in, was that Duke — a long-running basketball rival for both Kentucky and Louisville — would win fewer football games than projected this season.
Any winnings from the ceremonial first sports bets placed at the historic track Thursday will be donated to the Louisville Sports Commission, officials said.
Sports wagering facilities opened elsewhere in the state Thursday during the first phase of the rollout. At a betting facility in Lexington, state Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, who helped champion the sports betting legislation, placed his own wager.
«Starting today, no Kentuckian will ever have to take their
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