Yes, there are some forms of online gambling currently legal in Kentucky. The most notable examples are online horse betting and online lottery games. Online sports betting is now legal in KY, with the first online sportsbooks due to launch by the end of 2023. Real money online casinos are not legal, although social and sweepstakes casinos are.

Kentucky Revised Statute Chapter 528 lays out what gambling is legal in the state. For the most part, it is not. To wit, according to the statute, “a person is guilty of promoting gambling in the second degree when he knowingly advances or profits from unlawful gambling activity.” The only exceptions are the racetrack options, charitable gaming like bingo, and home poker games.

A search online might yield real money online casinos located outside the U.S. that claim to be legal for Kentucky players. That’s not true. In fact, since these sites are not regulated in KY you have no legal recourse should you try to play on them and run into any problems with your personal information or funds. Even setting aside the sites’ questionable legality, playing on such offshore online casinos is not worth the risk.

As noted, Kentuckians wanting to play online casino games can do so legally on social and sweepstakes sites.

Kentucky does not have a centralized gambling regulator at the moment. Instead, each type of gambling has its own commission. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission oversees all racing-based games and will also regulate sports betting.

Meanwhile, the Kentucky Lottery manages the lottery games, and the Department of Charitable Gaming handles bingo, raffles, and other similar events.

Nowhere yet, but stay tuned as sports betting is now legal in KY, and the first sportsbooks are due to open by the end of 2023.

Kentucky has legalized both retail and online sports betting. The retail sportsbooks will be opening at the state’s horse racetracks and the Kentucky Speedway. Those same sites will also have online sports betting licenses and will likely partner up with familiar online sportsbooks like DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars, BetMGM, and others.

When it comes to wagering on horse races and playing the Kentucky Lottery, you need to be at least 18 years old. Interestingly, since sports betting in KY is overseen by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and the new law connects sports betting with horse betting, the minimum age to bet on sports in KY will also be 18 years old. That’s younger than the typical 21 in most states with legal sports betting.

It’s not likely. No online casino bills are being seriously considered at present. Online poker has received some attention, and there has even been legislation proposing it, but no bills have advanced very far. Once online sportsbooks launch, the idea of further online gambling expansion might be considered, but don’t expect anything to happen on that front before then.