But casino-backed tracks in other states are often still able to offer higher race purses, the Senate committee was told. “If you go anywhere in the world and you tell someone you’re from Kentucky, they’re going to know horses and they’re going to know the Kentucky Derby,” horse trainer Tom Drury said.

1. Kentucky gambling laws define gambling as, “staking or risking something of value on the outcome of a contest, game, gaming scheme, or gaming device which is based upon an element of chance, in accord with an agreement or understanding that someone will receive something of value in the event of a certain outcome.”.
2. Unfortunately Kentucky has not legalized land based or online casinos. The state has very strict laws when it comes to gambling. Horseracing and the lottery are available but there are no casinos. Legislative efforts have not been able to pass a bill to legalize casinos. It does not look likely that any casinos will be opened soon.

Gambling is practically a state tradition in Kentucky, and poker has also played a big role in the history of the Bourbon State. Poker used to be the stuff of riverboats and underground clubs, but today’s Kentucky poker scene is more about live casinos and online poker. Now that the Internet is practically everywhere in the state, poker can be – and is – everywhere too.

Thanks to the aggressive position taken by some in the government on the issue of gambling online in Kentucky, not all online poker rooms take players from the state of Kentucky. That isn’t the same as saying no poker rooms will accept Kentucky sign ups. There are still a multitude of online poker sites where Kentuckians can play for real money.

This leads to plenty of questions about how online poker works, whether you can play poker online from Kentucky and the general climate for gambling in the state – questions answered in our Online Poker Player’s Guide to Kentucky.

Latest Online Poker Updates for Kentucky

Most analysts have considered Kentucky as one of the states least likely to consider online poker regulation in the past, but that all changed with developments in late 2018.

As Kentucky began to explore the possibility of legalizing sports betting in the state, the Poker Alliance took the opportunity to attend a hearingabout it and relay the message that online gambling would be a solid pairing with sports betting to add revenue to the state’s coffers.

In late November, Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear took that message to heart and proposed that lawmakers consider a new solutionto a longstanding problem with the funding of the state’s pension systems. He asked lawmakers to consider a new revenue stream that doesn’t raise taxes for Kentuckians. “The answer is simple,” he stated in his letter to lawmakers, “expanded gaming including casino, fantasy sports, and sports gaming, as well as preparing for the eventual legalization of online poker.” All eyes will be on the legislature in early 2019 to see if any online gambling proposals are put forward for consideration.

Weeks later, the Kentucky Court of Appeals handed down a ruling in a case between the Commonwealth of Kentucky and PokerStars that had been ongoing since 2008. Kentucky’s then-Governor Steve Beshear (Andy Beshear’s father) obtained legal permission to seize 141 online gambling domains at that time, including PokerStars, and the case continued as Kentucky demanded money from PokerStars for taking rake from losing players located in Kentucky from 2008 to 2011 when PokerStars left the US market. PokerStars appealed the case up to the Court of Appeals, and in December 2018, that court ruled in favor of PokerStars and reversed the original $870 million judgement of the Franklin Circuit Court. The state may appeal the case to the Kentucky Supreme Court in 2019, but as it stands, PokerStars can claim victory in the case.

In late November, Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear took that message to heart and proposed that lawmakers consider a new solution to a longstanding problem with the funding of the state’s pension systems. He asked lawmakers to consider a new revenue stream that doesn’t raise taxes for Kentuckians. “The answer is simple,” he stated in his letter to lawmakers, “expanded gaming including casino, fantasy sports, and sports gaming, as well as preparing for the eventual legalization of online poker.” All eyes will be on the legislature in early 2019 to see if any online gambling proposals are put forward for consideration.

As requested by AG Beshear in late 2018, lawmakers introduced a couple of bills to expand gambling in Kentucky. In early February, HB.190 was put forth to establish casinos in the state and expand gambling at horse tracks, and HB.175 proposed sports wagering, fantasy sports contests (DFS), and online poker. The latter was supported by 15 sponsors from both political parties.

Lead sponsor Kentucky Rep. Adam Koenig passed HB.175 through the House Licensing, Occupations, and Admin Regs Committee just weeks after its introduction, but it stalled there. The short legislative session ended after the last week of March, and with no further movement, the bill died. Similar legislation was pushed again in 2019, but the bill failed.

Kentucky Sports Betting Bill?

Sports betting failed to make it through the Kentucky legislature, as well. However, it appears that support for legal sports betting is growing. Followers of Kentucky state politics expect to see a new KY sports betting bill at the start of 2020. If lawmakers respect the wishes of AG Beshear, sponsors of the legislation could add online poker to the bill.

Quite a bit changed in late 2019 and early 2020, however. Beshear won his campaign against the incumbent governor, and he won it on a platform that included expanded gambling for Kentucky. Newly-elected Governor Andy Beshear took office in December. At the same time, Rep. Koenig pre-filed a bill in 2020 to legalize online poker, daily fantasy sports (DFS), and sports wagering at racetracks, sports venues, and via online and mobile devices.

That filing from Koenig turned into HB.137, a bill that passed the House Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Committee on January 15. It then went to the Rules Committee for consideration with four amendments thus far. As it stands, the bipartisan legislation has 38 sponsors, including Koenig.

Kentucky Gambling Legislation

In addition, Beshear submitted his state budget proposal in late January with the contents of HB.137 included in it, stating that the new gambling options would raise more than $37 million in taxes and fees in the next two years. The bill failed last year, but Beshear is hoping to reintroduce it and try again in 2021.

Online Poker in Kentucky

Our top online poker rooms for KY are a result of a good deal of research that focuses on a few core things: Whether the room is licensed, how generous the room is with promotions and bonuses, how easy the games are and how good the software is. After surveying dozens of rooms, we used those criteria to narrow the list down to these top online poker sites for players from Kentucky:

Is Online Poker Legal in Kentucky?

What does the law say about playing online poker in Kentucky? The first step to answering that question: review the Kentucky statutes here. The next step is to consult a lawyer if you still have questions. For those who just want to gain a basic understanding of Kentucky gambling law, here are some parts of the code that all poker players should be familiar with.

What does Kentucky law consider to be gambling? Gambling is defined in Section 528.010 as

“staking or risking something of value upon the outcome of a contest, game, gaming scheme, or gaming device which is based upon an element of chance, in accord with an agreement or understanding that someone will receive something of value in the event of a certain outcome.”

There’s a phrase in Kentucky gambling law that could easily confuse at first glance – “profiting from gambling activity” (Section 528.010) You might think this could also apply to simply winning at a poker game, but it’s actually referring specifically to profiting from the operation of an illegal gambling activity (not just participation).

Kentucky is one of the few states that does not have an obvious criminal penalty for those who engage in illegal gambling exclusively as players.

With that said, Kentucky does have a number of steep penalties for those who “advance gambling activity,” a broad category of actions that encompasses all “conduct that materially aids any form of gambling activity” (Section 528.010).

While our cursory reading regarding poker law in Kentucky suggests that players do not face any criminal liability for playing real-money poker online, this guide should not be taken as a substitute for legal advice.

Kentucky Gambling Facts

By some accounts, Kentucky was home to Las Vegas before Vegas even existed. While a town of a different name – Newport – was the central attraction for gamblers, historians seem to agree that Kentucky was essentially the turn of the century equivalent to Las Vegas, complete with underworld crime figures, illicit profits and plenty of suspect activity. Colorful gangsters and their gambling hangouts are now the stuff of legend and nostalgia in Kentucky, but betting and wagering continues to play a vital role in the culture and economy of the state.

Regulated Gambling Options in Kentucky

Within the state borders of Kentucky, you’re limited to the lottery, charitable gambling and – of course – pari-mutuel betting on horse races. After all, what fun would the Kentucky Derby be if everyone just watched the horses run? There are no commercial casinos in the state, but several site right on various borders in neighboring states such as Indiana and Ohio. While there has been some talk of bringing full-fledged commercial casinos (along with poker rooms) to Kentucky, repeated attempts to do so by the state legislature have failed, suggesting that the current lineup of regulated gambling options may well persist for years to come.

Can you Gamble Online in Kentucky?

Residents of Kentucky are able to legally place online bets on horse races through approved operators. Otherwise, Kentucky has yet to take any legislative action that would allow it to issue online poker licenses or regulate online poker (or any other type of online gambling) within the state.

All Poker and Gambling Laws by State

• The coronavirus pandemic stopped progress on a great many things. Every state in America now faces massive hurdles – many financial in nature – to overcome in the remaining months of 2020…and probably beyond. To say that online poker fell completely off the radar of lawmakers in Kentucky in the

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• It was an unexpected surprise to see Kentucky on the list of states considering online poker in 2019. Few could imagine that a state in the middle of America would be the fifth or sixth state to legalize online poker, but imagine no more. The bill is no longer alive

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• The Commonwealth of Kentucky took action this week on its sports betting legislation, which also bodes well for online poker and fantasy sports, both of which are included in the bill. As the bill has been alive for little more than two weeks, it has already garnered substantial bipartisan support

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Kentucky Gambling Resources

Northern Kentucky Gambling Museum. Take a virtual trip on YouTube through this interesting and eclectic institution that houses artifacts from the state’s past as a gambling hub.
Kentucky Council on Problem Gambling. Scholarly material concerning the gambling industry in Kentucky, along with a full suite of literature and tools aimed at reducing problem gambling in the state.
Kentucky.com. Best source for local news and developments related to gambling and similar topics. Follow legislation and other issues shaping the future of the gambling industry in Kentucky.

Sources & Citations For This Article on Kentucky Online Poker

[toc]A new bill in Kentucky would legalize and license casinos in the state, with the potential for sports betting legalization as well.

Casinos, sports betting in Kentucky?

Horse betting and racing is already big business in Kentucky. But the state appears to be serious about considering more gaming when 2018 arrives — depending on who you ask.

New bills would start the process for legalizing casinos in the state:

• BR 197is a proposed constitutional amendment to allow casinos.
• BR 149 is enabling legislation.

The latter would allow for sports wagering the future, potentially. Here’s more from WCPO in Kentuckywith the bill sponsor:

Casinos and gambling have been the subject of controversial bills in recent legislative sessions, but Dennis Keene said he believes “the atmosphere is more receptive right now.”

Kentucky already allows parimutuel gambling — betting in which all winning bets share the total pool — at specific venues for horse racing. Keene’s bill would expand what those venues can do as well as add up to four casinos across the state. He sees the betting eventually including other sports, including basketball, baseball and football.

The bill would specifically ban wagering on amateur athletic contests but does not preclude wagering on pro sports.

Kentucky Gambling Legislation

Opposition to casinos, too

While Keene is the Democratic caucus chair in the House, there’s not exactly unanimous support in the state government. Here’s the Lexington Herald Leader:

State Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, said he does not favor allowing casinos in Kentucky and sees little chance the legislature will approve a casino measure in 2018.

And Republican Gov. Matt Bevin has said casino gambling is not going to happen in Kentucky.

That makes it seem like a steep climb for the casino bill off the bat.

Sports betting already on Kentucky’s radar

A bill already surfaced this summer in the state to possibly legalize sports wagering. That legislation would authorize the state’s horse racing commission to promulgate regulations for sports betting.

Ky Casino Legislation

The initial version includes a tax that is far too high to be reasonable — 20 percent on handle. But still, it’s a conversation starter for the possibility of sports gambling.

Kentucky is just one of a number of states that are least considering the idea of legal sports betting should the federal ban be struck down via the New Jersey sports betting case.