Kentucky sports bettors can now count Australian rugby, Formula 1 racing, tennis, and two more mixed martial arts (MMA) events among their sports betting options. Those five events will be added to the sports wagering catalog if the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) agrees in October with the Sept. 21 recommendations from the Sports Wagering Advisory Council (SWAC). However, bettors still can’t pick pickleball.
On Sept. 7, retail sportsbooks launched in the Bluegrass State. On Sept. 28, Kentucky online esports and sports wagering go live.
In October, Kentucky’s gaming regulator will decide whether to add these betting options to the existing sports wagering catalog:
- Formula 1 racing
- National Rugby League, Australia
- Professional Fighters League, MMA
- Bellator, MMA
- Universal Tennis League
The recommendation for those additions came today via a unanimous SWAC vote.
As for the original list of approved sports bets, KHRC Executive Director Jamie Eads approved SWAC’s recommendations. That rendered the sports wagering catalog “effective subject to ratification” at the regulator’s October meeting.
If the KHRC approves, the events join a 2.5-page-long list of Kentucky regulator-approved bets. The sports wagering catalog already includes betting options ranging from NFL games to chess matches.
Kentucky Sports Bettors Can’t Wager on Pickleball
However, pickleball is nowhere on the list.
Pickleball fan Jonathan Blue, a SWAC at-large member, suggested the sport on Aug. 31. That’s when the council recommended the initial events in the sports wagering catalog be approved by the KHRC, which the commission may do in October.
That’s also when Kentucky Sports Wagering Director Hans Stokke told SWAC members that for events to be included in the catalog, they must be organized sports with a recognized governing body.
While Blue attended today’s SWAC meeting, he didn’t comment about pickleball not being included among the additions.
Gambling Officials Hear You, Pickleball Fans
Richmond voters are seeing a commercial urging them to vote for the Richmond Grand Resort and Casino on Nov. 7. Within that ad is a man saying he wants to play pickleball on the grounds of the proposed $562 million retail casino. He asked, and the developers said there would be pickleball courts.
Meanwhile, Blue did more for the sport than its New Jersey fans.
As David Danzis wrote for PlayNJ on Sept. 7, New Jersey bettors can’t wager on pickleball because:
It does not appear as though the [Professional Pickleball Association] PPA, FanDuel, or any associating entity petitioned NJ gambling regulators to approve betting on the sport.
PlayNJ and Bonus are Catena Media publications.
SWAC’s Other Recommendation
The council also unanimously approved “independent testing laboratories submission criteria,” as presented by Stokke today.
He said those labs will help the regulator certify the sports wagering systems’ components.
That criteria also needs a KHRC vote in October.
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