Kentucky is a strong contender for legalizing real money online casinos soon considering the successful launch of online sports betting. But online casino players don’t need to despair, as they have access to the best sweepstakes casinos in the country, where players can win cash prizes playing slots, blackjack, roulette, and more. We’ll keep this page updated with any legislative movements on the real money gambling front. In the meantime, get in on the action with our exclusive Kentucky online casino bonuses below.
Online Casino Gaming for Cash Prizes in Kentucky
Although real money online casinos aren’t yet legal in Kentucky, players can play casino-style games at sweepstakes casinos for cash prizes. Below, we’ve laid out some of the best options for online casino gaming for cash prizes in Kentucky.
Gambling is for entertainment purposes only. Stay safe and ensure success when you gamble responsibly. Gambling problem? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER for confidential support. Visit SAMHSA’s National Helpline website for resources that include a treatment center locator, anonymous chat, and more.
How We Rank the Best Kentucky Online Casinos
Legality
First and foremost, we only cover online casinos that are fully licensed and regulated. You should never trust offshore and unregulated casinos, so in our rankings, we take a look at the legal status of every online casino option before recommending it.
Security
Along with legality, we focus on security and data protection. All three of these considerations come together to ensure customer safety and protection on a personal, financial, and overall basis. In the case of Kentucky online casinos, we look to make sure data is transferred utilizing strong encryption and stored safely and securely. We also take into account secure payment methods for both deposits and withdrawals.
Welcome Bonuses
While not the end-all-be-all, welcome bonuses introduce an exciting opportunity to begin your play on the right foot. For that reason, we take them into account when ranking online casinos. However, we don’t simply look at the overall numbers; we dig into the terms and conditions to ensure the bonuses are fair and attainable. This includes looking at playthrough requirements, game contribution rates, and more.
Bonuses for Existing Players
Bonus opportunities shouldn’t end upon registration. The best online casinos offer generous and regular bonuses to existing players as well. For our rankings, we take a look at bonus generosity, frequency, variety, and fairness.
Game Selection
When players join an online casino, they do so to play games. So, it should go without saying that game selection holds sway in our ranking system. We look at not only the variety of types of games (slots, table games, etc.) but also the variety within those categories. For example, does an online casino offer a wide variety of themes and features within its slot catalog?
Reputation
While reputation may rely on unofficial reviews, in most cases, you’ll find that online casinos hold the reputations they do for a reason. Thus, we consider an operator’s overall reputation as it relates to quality, fairness, handling of funds, and other categories.
Loyalty & Rewards
Not all online casinos offer loyalty and reward programs, but it’s a nice benefit, as they offer players the opportunity to get more for their play. If a loyalty program is on offer, we consider that for our rankings and also look at the specifics of that program.
Kentucky Online Gambling Snapshot
| Gambling Type | Legal? | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Online Casinos | NO | Sweepstakes and social casinos only available. |
| Online Poker | NO | Social poker, such as Global Poker, is allowed. |
| Online Lottery | YES | Kentucky legal online lottery is available on KY Lottery website. |
| Online Sports Betting | YES | Kentucky legal online sports betting went live in 2023. |
| Online Horse Betting | YES | Legal, but not at online sportsbooks. |
Online Casino Games in Kentucky
Slots in Kentucky
Sweepstakes and social casinos offer a wide variety of slots in Kentucky. This includes regular video slots as well as progressive jackpot slots. The games cover countless themes, features, and mechanics, allowing fans of all types of slot-style games to find something they’ll enjoy.
Table Games in Kentucky
Table games are becoming increasingly common at sweepstakes and social casinos in Kentucky. Most often, players will find blackjack and roulette; however, baccarat, craps, and other titles will crop up as well.
More Kentucky Online Casino Games
Other online casino games in Kentucky include what some sweepstakes and social casinos call “originals,” a category that consists of fan favorites such as keno, Plinko, dice, and more. Players are also able to take part in online scratch-off style games at many sweepstakes and social casinos.
History of Gambling in Kentucky
There’s no argument—Kentucky is best known for its horse gambling, beginning with the original Kentucky Derby in 1875. A century later, Kentucky launched a state lottery in the late 1980s. For decades after, not much progress was made, although the state lottery began offering keno in 2013. Most recently, the state of Kentucky launched sports betting and online sports betting in September of 2023. To many experts, this signals a change of thinking about online wagering as a whole, introducing the possibility of legal real money online casinos and online poker in the near future.
Retail Casinos in Kentucky
There are currently no retail casinos in Kentucky, although you can find historical horse racing machines that are similar to slots.
Kentucky Online Casinos – Bottom Line
It’s clear that Kentucky has had quite a limited history with online gambling, and that includes online casinos. However, with the recent legalization of online sports betting and the availability of sweepstakes and social casinos in the state, it’s certainly a possibility that we’ll see Kentucky attempting to legalize online casinos in the near future. Of course, only time and state politics will tell.
More Resources for Kentucky Online Gamblers
Online Casinos in Neighboring States
Kentucky Online Casinos FAQ
No. Real money online casinos are currently illegal in Kentucky. However, sweepstakes and social casinos that offer the ability to play casino-style games to redeem cash prizes are legal and available.
Online sports betting, horse betting, and online lottery are allowed. However, you are not allowed to bet on horses at online sportsbooks.
No. Although Kentucky doesn’t have any retail casinos, it does have horse racetracks that offer slot-like historical horse racing machines.
No, but BetMGM does operate its online sportsbook in Kentucky.
Sports betting apps and horse betting apps are legal in Kentucky. Real money online casino apps and online poker apps are currently illegal in Kentucky.
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