Gov. Beshear places historic first sports bet in Ky. at Churchill Downs
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WTVQ) — Gov. Andy Beshear placed the state’s historic first sports bet at Churchill Downs on Thursday.
At 10 a.m., Beshear was in the Aristides Lounge placing the first bet, of $20, on NCAA football.
He bet the over on wins for the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville, and the under on Duke.
At 1:30 p.m., Beshear will be at Red Mile in Lexington to place another bet.
The Sports Wagering Advisory Council set the following catalog of approved sporting events to place bets on in Kentucky. Here are some highlights:
- NFL
- MLB
- NBA
- WNBA
- NCAA baseball, softball, basketball, football and hockey
For the full catalog, head here:
Sports Wagering Advisory Council catalog
Ten different types of bets will be offered. Those include:
- Single game
- Teaser
- Parlays
- Over-under
- Money line
- Pools
- In-game wagering
- In-play
- Proposition bets
- Straight bets
Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman was in Florence at Turfway Park Racing & Gaming to place her first bet.
Sen. Damon Thayer, Rep. Michael Meredith and more members of the General Assembly were at Red Mile to place their bets.
Some organizations, like the Family Foundation, are opposed to sports betting saying it’s a hit to children.
“This expansion of predatory gambling is a lose-lose for Kentuckians, especially for children and the vulnerable. Despite claims of economic benefit, government-sponsored gambling is a cancer on the economy which has historically cost at least three times more in social harms than benefits. Sports betting, especially when done on highly-addictive phones that will end up in the hands of children, only amplifies the resulting social harms of predatory gambling. Unfortunately, Kentucky should have every reason to expect addictions to grow, leading to more broken families, increased government spending, more opportunities for corruption, and sports scandals that will radically change the way children view sports,” said Executive Director David Walls in a statement.
In March, Beshear signed into law House Bill 551, the bill to legalize, regulate and tax sports betting. It allows Kentucky’s nine horse racing tracks to be licensed by sports-betting facilities for a $500,000 upfront fee. Tracks could then renew their license annually for $50,000.
The bill passed the House by a vote of 63-34. It cleared its final hurdle in the Senate, on the last day of the legislative session, by a vote of 25-12.
“After years of urging lawmakers to legalize sports betting, we finally did it! Today’s result shows that hard work pays off. Kentuckians will soon be able to place their bets here, and for the first time, we are going to keep those dollars to support our roads and bridges, schools and communities. ^ AB” Beshear wrote on Facebook after the Senate passed the bill.
