Table of Contents
Online Gambling in Kentucky in 2024
-
Shawn West
- July 11, 2024
Kentucky is home to what is not only the most famous horse race but also one of the most gambled-on events of every year—the Kentucky Derby. Despite that, the state has not been hospitable to most forms of gambling, until recently.
Outside of horse racing, which is legal to bet on in person and online, Kentucky legalized sports betting on March 31, 2023, when Governor Andy Beshear approved HB 551, the sports betting bill, with the stipulation that the market must launch no later than six months after June 28. As of September 2023, both retail and online sports betting are available.
However, residents of the Bluegrass State have plenty of options outside of the few local sportsbooks, as they can go online and make use of the best offshore sportsbooks rated in this guide.
These offshore sites are not subject to Kentucky state law or U.S. Federal regulations on gambling. Because of that, these sites offer Kentuckians the opportunity to wager real money on professional sports teams and collegiate teams; they also feature online casino gambling with a vast range of casino games including poker.
But there are dozens and dozens of online betting sites out there. Which one should you use? We’ve set out to help you answer that question. Our blue ribbon panel of experts looked at more than 100 offshore gambling sites, evaluating them in several different areas. They then compiled a top 10 list of the best online gambling sites in the state. The top 10 online sports betting sites have a wide variety of gambling options, from sportsbooks to racebooks, online casino games and online poker rooms.
All the sites on our list are well established, with years of experience—and most of them more than a decade—and have developed reputations for being trustworthy, dependable and safe.
We then go into detail on each of the top 10 offshore sportsbooks, listing the pros and cons to explain why they finished where they did on the list. We’ll also look at the state of gambling regulations in Kentucky—what’s legal and what might change in the future.
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SPORTSBOOK
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Expert Review
Read Review
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20% Cash Bonus
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CLAIM BONUS
CLAIM BONUS
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SPORTSBOOK
|
TRUST SCORE
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ONLINE SINCE
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|
Expert Review
Read Review
|
BONUS
30% Cash Bonus
|
CLAIM BONUS
CLAIM BONUS
|
|
SPORTSBOOK
|
TRUST SCORE
|
ONLINE SINCE
2001
|
Expert Review
Read Review
|
BONUS
$250 Free Bet
|
CLAIM BONUS
CLAIM BONUS
|
|
SPORTSBOOK
|
TRUST SCORE
|
ONLINE SINCE
1996
|
Expert Review
Read Review
|
BONUS
100% Cash Bonus
|
CLAIM BONUS
CLAIM BONUS
|
|
SPORTSBOOK
|
TRUST SCORE
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ONLINE SINCE
2011
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Expert Review
Read Review
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BONUS
$750 Cash Bonus
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Table of Contents
Best Kentucky Online Gambling Sites 2024
Without any further ado, here are the top 10 online betting sites in Kentucky, according to our team of gambling experts.
Each of these online sportsbooks is known for treating customers fairly and providing an excellent gambling experience. They offer a wide variety of betting markets including teasers, props and live betting on sports, as well as casino games, live dealer games, poker and racebooks.
- BookMaker – The best overall online gambling site in Kentucky
- Bovada – The state’s biggest menu of gambling options
- BetOnline – Quickest payouts in Kentucky and outstanding lines
- Heritage Sports – Best in the state for live betting on your favorite sports
- BetAnySports – Lowest house edge on odds in KY
- JustBet – Fast, efficient live betting platform
- BetUS – Home to Kentucky’s largest bonuses
- WagerWeb – Nearly three decades of experience
- Everygame – The world’s oldest online gambling site
- SportsBetting.ag – Weekly bonuses for loyal customers
Each of the gambling sites in our top 10 is located offshore. That means they are not subject to U.S. Federal law and state gambling regulations. Even though online gambling may not be legal for companies inside the state, there’s no prohibiting these offshore sportsbooks from offering their services to Kentucky residents. They’ve been in operation for years, and they’ve each built spotless reputations.
The Best Kentucky Sportsbooks Reviewed
All of the online sportsbooks in our top 10 offer great gambling experiences to all users, so the site that’s right for you depends on what you prefer and the factors that are most important to you. To help you find the right match for your needs, we offer a detailed look at each site.
1. Top Overall Online Gambling Site in KY : BookMaker
Key Features
- The first site to release lines and odds
- Loyalty program and bonuses are generous
BookMaker took home the top spot in our rankings and is the choice for the best all-around online betting site in Kentucky. From professionals to first-time gamblers, everyone will find a reason to feel comfortable at BookMaker, which prides itself on catering to bettors of all levels.
High rollers will come to BookMaker for the highest betting limits in Kentucky, as well as the fact that BookMaker is one of the first sites in the state to post betting lines and odds.
BookMaker also has extremely low minimum bets and straightforward, easy-to-use software that will help rookie gamblers find their footing and test the waters with small bets to get started.
BookMaker offers a nice portfolio of promos and its loyalty program is one of the best in the state, allowing regular bettors to earn bonuses and other perks.
The only complaint is that BookMaker doesn’t have a live online poker room. However, its online casino has a large number of different games to play—including several variations of video poker. The mobile betting experience on your phone or tablet is equivalent to using the full site.
2. Full Casino Experience With Massive Range of Options: Bovada
Key Features
- More prop bet options than anyone else
- Busiest poker room in the country
- Large online casino with wide range of games
Bovada might be the most popular online betting site. It certainly has a loyal cult following, thanks to its outstanding overall user experience. Bovada offers the widest variety of betting options in Kentucky, and each category is among the best around. Bovada has a racebook, one of the best sportsbooks in Kentucky, a huge selection of online casino games, and it’s home to America’s busiest poker room.
The sportsbook has a dazzling array of prop betting options, including some that are so low risk, you’re almost guaranteed to record a few wins to get you started. They also have some novelty betting markets, like politics, entertainment and religion, as well as virtual camel racing.
Bovada’s user interface is also one of the best, giving customers a smooth, slick environment that’s easy to navigate while looking nice. And the mobile platform is our choice for the best in Kentucky.
Players will enjoy extremely generous promo codes at Bovada, although they have high rollover requirements.
3. Quickest Payouts in Kentucky: BetOnline
Key Features
- Sportsbook has some of the best lines and odds around
- High betting limits
BetOnline is another site that is one size fits all when it comes to different levels of gamblers. It caters to both experienced near-professional gamblers and brand-new first-time bettors. The veterans will appreciate the high betting limits and betting odds that are perhaps the most favorable in Kentucky, including opinionated lines on many sporting events.
Newcomers will come for the user interface, which is simple to navigate. They’ll also enjoy all the different betting options that BetOnline offers, including more novelty markets than other sites, allowing you to bet on show business awards shows, politics and other non-sports events.
BetOnline also has the quickest payouts in Kentucky, meaning you won’t get a headache when you try to withdraw your money. There are no surprise fees or unnecessary delays. Even the promo codes at BetOnline have an air of ease about them, with reasonable rollover requirements.
BetOnline also has a professional customer service department that’s always available with short hold times, and the mobile site is exceptional. The site also offers an online casino and the third busiest poker room in the United States, which is completely accessible from your mobile devices.
4. Great for Live Gambling in KY: Heritage Sports
Key Features
- Best for live betting
- Cash back rebate program for loyal customers
- Outstanding sportsbook with reduced juice lines
Heritage Sports got its start as an invite-only gambling site. It’s now opened its services up to anyone who wants to join, but it still features a high-level VIP experience for gamblers on the site. It has a high-quality sportsbook, as well as a racebook, online casino and a section that lets you bet on esports. There are also novelty markets like entertainment and religious betting (for instance, on who will be the next pope).
Heritage Sports was also one of the first sites to allow customers to bet on sporting events that are in progress. Now known as live betting, it’s one of the fastest-growing trends in sports gambling, and Heritage Sports is still the best provider of live betting in Kentucky. Its live betting interface loads pages fast, is very responsive and easy to navigate, allowing you to find and place your bets quickly. This is important when you’re betting on an in-progress game.
Their online casino features several versions of online slot games and other casino games, both in video form and in a live dealer section. It is optimized for mobile betting, meaning you’ll get the same casino experience on your phone or tablet as you do on Heritage’s full website on a computer.
Heritage Sports also offers cash-back rebates to customers and has a number of different welcome bonus promotions to choose from. They are known for paying out in full, without delays, and if you have any questions or concerns, their VIP treatment of gamblers extends to their customer service department as well.
5. Lowest House Edge in KY: BetAnySports
Key Features
- Online casino has several areas with huge range of games
- Reduced juice and other sports lines give the best value in Kentucky
BetAnySports is known as the online sports betting site in Kentucky that gives bettors the most value. The site does so by having the lowest house edge of any of the offshore books.
The house edge is what makes gambling providers their money. If you add up the odds on a sports bet, you’ll see that they don’t quite equal 100%. The difference is what assures the house of making a profit.
BetAnySports has a house edge, but theirs is smaller than anywhere else, meaning that their odds come closer to even than anyone else’s. In other words, it’s easier for you to beat their odds and come away with a profit than it is at other sites.
BetAnySports does this by offering favorable lines in its sportsbook, as well as the best reduced juice in Kentucky.
The industry standard is to offer -110 odds on either side of a point spread or over/under total, but BetAnySports sets their odds at -105 on both sides of the cutoff. That essentially cuts their house edge in half and means that you’re losing a little less when you miss and winning a little more when you’re right. It’s not a lot, but over time, it can be significant.
Despite its name, BetAnySports has more than just its high-value sportsbook. It has a racebook, a lottery section and a casino with several different gaming sections in it.
Since BetAnySports is making less profit on the actual bets, it cuts some overhead elsewhere. Their welcome bonuses are lower than most of their competitors—instead of giving you money upfront, they let you earn it, bet by bet; however, the ability to choose your welcome bonus helps players maximize their value. Their user interface isn’t as slick and stylish as other sites, either. It is simple and uncluttered.
Is online gambling legal in Kentucky?
The short answer is “it depends.”
First of all, the simple part of the answer: Of course, in the birthplace of the world’s most famous horse race, gambling on horse racing is completely legal. Gamblers can find pari-mutuel wagering in person at a horse track or off-track betting parlor, or they can bet online. The state has several legal online racebooks, such as TwinSpires.com.
If you’re looking for types of gambling other than placing horse bets, things get more cloudy. The current gambling laws in the state do not permit companies or organizations based in the state to offer the opportunity to bet on sports, play casino games or host a poker room—either in person or online.
The state legislature has considered bills that would legalize sports betting in each of the last three years. They were never able to find a consensus that would allow the bill to pass both houses, however. They’ll continue trying, but legal Kentucky sports betting is still at least a year or more away.
Kentucky residents looking to bet on anything other than horses can either go to a neighboring state that is more gambling friendly—such as West Virginia, Tennessee and Ohio for land-based gambling; they can also use an offshore sportsbook. They are not subject to state law and U.S. Federal law, which means an offshore sportsbook can offer the whole gamut of gambling markets, including online sports betting, online horse betting, online casino gambling and more.
Horse Race Betting in Kentucky
Horse racing is part of the fabric of Kentucky’s history, with one of the country’s oldest and most prestigious horse racing tracks nestled in the heart of Louisville. The first races were held years before it was even officially a state, and the Derby is one of the most famous and longest-running annual races on the calendar.
There are five main tracks in Kentucky, as well as countless thoroughbred farms and breeders. It’s no surprise, then, that the state would be more friendly toward betting on races than it is other forms of gambling.
While it’s possible to bet with a native site, like TwinSpires, most gamblers like to engage in a variety of betting activities. Online betting sites offer the chance to bet on sports, races, play casino games, and even play poker, all in one convenient spot.
Payments at an Online Gambling Site in Kentucky
Depositing funds in your account at online betting sites is fast and easy. Payment methods for sites that serve Kentucky residents include:
- Credit and debit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express)
- Bank transfer, wire transfer, P2P transfer
- Digital wallet providers like Skrill and Neteller
- Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies
Since offshore sportsbooks aren’t based in the United States, your money will need to cross national borders. That could mean delays or fees on your transactions, especially if you use classic payment methods, like bank transfers or credit cards.
Because of that, many gamblers at offshore sites prefer to use cryptocurrency, which is designed to easily cross boundaries and avoid delays and fees when moving money online.
In fact, many sites encourage customers to use crypto, by offering higher bonuses for their initial deposit or faster payouts. Popular methods of paying with crypto include Bitcoin, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, and others.
Online Gambling Laws in Kentucky
Other than horse racing, all forms of online gambling are still illegal in Kentucky. Over the last three years, sports betting bills seeking to change this have been introduced but each of the bills failed. Now that it is 2024, it still appears that the state is gearing up to make another attempt at successfully passing sports betting legislation.
So far, however, politicians haven’t been able to agree on the details and pass any sports betting bills. The state’s governor, Andy Beshear, supports gambling expansions, and most states bordering Kentucky have softened their gambling laws in recent years, luring residents to cross state borders for gambling needs. Hopefully, things will change in the near future.
Advantages of Offshore Gambling Sites in Kentucky
There are no state laws in Kentucky or U.S. Federal laws that prohibit you from betting on sports, races, poker or casino games at offshore sportsbooks. All the laws on the books are aimed at preventing Kentucky-based organizations from offering the services, not limiting Kentuckians’ activities at offshore sites. But don’t worry because there are many benefits to using online betting sites in Kentucky.
More Gambling Options
Kentucky-based gambling sites can only offer the opportunity to bet on horse races. On the other hand, offshore sites have a large variety of different ways to bet, including sportsbooks, online poker rooms, online casinos with hundreds of games, racebooks, esports and novelty markets like entertainment betting, politics and even religion. From reality show winners to Oscar nominations to election results, you can bet on all kinds of outcomes.
Plus, of course, you can bet on just about any game or match of any sport, around the world, from the popular sports and leagues in America to far-flung leagues and less familiar sports in Australia, Europe and Asia. There are also a number of different methods you can use to bet, including point spreads, moneylines, point totals, prop bets, and live betting for in-progress events.
Less Hassle and More Privacy
You can bet from home or, from anywhere you are with your mobile device. Every site in our 10 best online betting sites in Kentucky offers an app or mobile-optimized site. You get all the benefits of in-person betting without having to make a special trip anywhere.
Our top-rated sites are also safe and secure. You can play in complete privacy and be confident that no one will have access to your information.
Online Casino Bonuses
Online betting sites offer an array of promotions and bonuses. Among the bonuses and other promotions you’ll find at online betting sites are:
- Welcome bonuses
- Deposit matching
- Reload bonuses
- Free bets
- Risk-free bets
- Rebates and cashback
- Odds boosts, profit boosts, and parlay boosts
- Reduced juice
- Loyalty programs
What This All Comes Down To
Kentucky does not have any in-state options for gambling other than on horse races. That means residents either have to travel to another state or go online and use offshore sportsbooks for other forms of gambling. Offshore books put all the gambling options—racebook, sportsbook, casino games, and poker—in one convenient spot. Our top 10 online betting sites in Kentucky are the best offshore sites available, with decades of dependable, stable operation.
FAQs – Kentucky Online Gambling
What forms of gambling are legal in Kentucky?
Horse racing is the only form of legal gambling in Kentucky. You will not find any Kentucky-based casino providers, but bettors who reside in the state will still find a wide selection of online casino sites.
Can you gamble online in Kentucky?
Although the state has not yet legalized online gambling, the law is oriented around prohibiting companies from offering such services, not individual Kentuckians from seeking them. Offshore internet casinos are still available for residents who enjoy gambling.
Can you use DraftKings casino in Kentucky?
DraftKings casino is not available in Kentucky, but there are still plenty of opportunities for bettors in the state to enjoy their favorite casino games. Bookmaker, Bovada, BetOnline and more offshore betting sites are full of gambling opportunities.
Is mobile gambling legal in Kentucky?
Like all other forms of gambling except for horse racing, mobile gambling is illegal in Kentucky. However, a Kentucky resident can easily opt for a mobile gambling provider that is not based in their state.
Will a VPN allow me to gamble online in Kentucky?
Because the offshore sites we recommend allow bettors from all over the United States, you do not need a VPN to access them. Your IP address will not stand in the way of you placing bets.
