Key Revisions Could Legalize Kentucky Sports Betting In 2023

• House Bill 551 would legalize retail and online sports betting in Kentucky if passed.
• The bill does not include legalized poker or fantasy sports, centralized on sports betting only.
• This aspect of HB551 is different from the sports betting bill (HB606) that failed in 2022.

FRANKFORT, Ky. – State lawmaker Michael Meredith is confident that this year’s Kentucky sports betting bill will make it through the legislative process, after filing HB551 this week.

The Kentucky gambling bill would regulate retail and online sports betting in 2023.

House Bill 551 Overview

House Bill 551 would provide the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission with regulation responsibility for Kentucky sports betting and distribution of gambling licenses.

HB551 aims to allows the state’s nine horse tracks to offer sports betting under their jurisdiction.

The bill would also provide legal sports betting  for professional sports, eSports, and college sports.

In an interview with LEX18, the primary sponsor of the bill, Michael Meredith, explained his confidence behind the bill.

Meredith claimed that “I do feel really, really good about it. We picked up some votes in the Senate through the elections, and I think again, taking out the online poker, taking out fantasy, we did those to appeal over on the other side of the Capitol.”

The state lawmaker believes that many senators disliked the poker and fantasy aspects of last year’s sports betting bill, House Bill 606, which never advanced past the Senate floor.

Meredith’s efforts to learn from the mistakes that “…seemed to be a problem over in the senate in the discussions from last year.” can propel HB 551 through the legislative process and introduce legal Kentucky sports betting.

News tags: Kentucky | KY HB 551 | KY HB 606 | Michael Meredith