Legal sports betting opens to fanfare in Kentucky governor makes the first wager at Churchill Downs

Legal sports betting opens to fanfare in Kentucky; governor makes the first wager at Churchill Downs

Kentucky Governor Andy Bethia has a $ 20 betting to show that sports betting has been legalized in Blue Glass. The Democratic Governor Bethia held the first sports betting event on Thursday at Churchill Downs, home of Kentucky Derby. September 7) (AP Video: Dylan Lovan

Governor Andy Bethia Kentucky stands in front of Sports Betting Kiosk in Church Lowns in Louisville, New York, September 7, 2023. Democratic Governor Bethia held the first sports betting gambling event in Churchill Downs, the home of Kentucky Derby. The governor has made a promise to launch sports gambling in line with the NFL season. (AP Photo/Bruce Schreiner)

Fil e-March 21, 2019, at Borgata Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, gamblers lined up to bet on men's NCAA basketball tournaments. At the beginning of the NFL season, Kentucky residents can first bet on the game for the first time. At that time, funds are also provided to the state's first program for gambling addicted patients. (AP Photo / Wayne Parry, File)

On Thursday, September 7, 2023, Governor Andy Bessia, Governor of Kentucky, who receives advice on Gamble Kiosk from President Mike Anderson at the Churchl Downs Racecourse in Louisville, New York. (Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal Via AP)

On Thursday, September 7, 2023, the Governor Andy Bessia of Kentucky, who shows his first bet at the Church Lowns Racecourse in Louisville, New York. On Thursday, Governor Andy Besia Kentucky was a good deal with his hometown of his hometown and his nemesis, with his legal sports betting in Blue Glass, which indicates that it is being actively performed. I bet $ 20 to the football team. (Michael Krebar Via AP)

Legal Sportsbetting is announced in Kentucky.

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LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (AP) - Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear bet $20 on two rival football teams, his hometown and his rival, on Thursday in a brisk trade that marked the beginning of legal sports betting in the Bluegrass State.

The Democratic governor made good on his promise to introduce sports betting at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, for the first time and to open sports betting to coincide with the start of the full NFL season.

"This is entertainment. This is what Kentuckians feel. This will boost tourism development. We won't lose so many people to Las Vegas in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament."

The governor is betting that the Kentucky Institute and Louisville Institute football teams will win more games than the odds predict this season, to encourage voters in a gubernatorial election year. The third $20 bet that would have benefited Beshear was that Duke, a longtime basketball rival of Kentucky and Louisville, would win fewer football games than expected this season.

All winnings from the first sports bet ceremony, held at the historic racetrack on Thursday, will be donated to the Louisville Sports Commission, officials said.

Sports betting sites also opened in other cities across the state on Thursday. At one of the betting sites in Lexington, Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer, who is pushing the sports betting bill, placed a personal bet.

"From now on, Kentuckians will not have to take their hard-earned money to other states to place sports bets," the Republican said.

Mobile betting, which allows Internet betting with support from mobile phones, will be operational by the end of this month.

The plan would bring the state about $23 million in annual revenue, according to monitoring, but some supporters predict it could be much higher. Much of the profits would go to the Kentucky Retirement System, and it would also stop Kentuckians from taking bets on sports to other states.

Sports betting has become a reality after a long political battle. The state legislature, which is dominated by Gopes, completed a bill to legalize, regulate and tax sports betting in late March during the final hours of the annual session. Bashir quickly signed the law.

For some Kentuckians, the launch of sports betting was a major milestone.

But critics of sports betting believe that sports betting is addictive gambling and that Kentucky families will suffer. A small portion of the sports fee tax revenue goes into a fund that provides relief for gambling addiction.

"This is an expansion of predatory gambling and a loss for Kentuckians, especially children and vulnerable people," Family Foundation Executive Director David Walls said in a statement.

The U. S. Supreme Court paved the way for legalizing sports betting five years ago, and since then, nearly three-quarters of states have allowed sports betting.

Horse racing is a long-standing tradition in Kentucky, known as the Horse Capital of the World. In recent years, the state's wealthy have taken advantage of a new form of gambling that allows players to bet on randomly generated, passing jumps, similar to slots on historic rope machines. Typically, such games are shown in an abbreviated form with video recordings of the races.

Currently, sports at the Hippodrome and other locations associated with the Hippodrome are featured.

Bashir, who advocated for legalizing sports betting during his term, has pushed state regulators ahead of schedule to develop rules to oversee the new gambling. The debut of sports betting in Kentocky took place on the same day that the Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Detroit Lions in the NFL's season opener.

The governor, who is up for reelection in November, could gain political benefits from supporting legalizing sports betting. Bashir spoke about the law's passage in a speech to address voters ahead of his election for a second term. Bashir faces off against Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a Republican.

Cameron's campaign has tried to take all the advantages of the current governor.

"The Legislature deserves our thanks for moving this ball across the field," he said. Cameron campaign manager Shawn Sautard said, "Besir is once again trying to blame himself for this victory when all he's done is go sideways."

Governor Cameron countered that his office worked closely with lawmakers on the law.

"They all know the truth," he said. "This is just a campaign period. But why aren't we all happy today? Sports fees are legal in Kentocky. Stop playing politics."

Elim Poon - Journalist, Creative Writer

Last modified: 27.08.2024

Legal sports betting opens to fanfare in Kentucky; governor makes the first wager at Churchill Downs. Gov. Andy Beshear vetoes overridden by. Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky. placed the first sports bet at historic Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, fulfilling a pledge that his. Legal sports betting opens to fanfare in Kentucky; governor makes the first wager at Churchill Downs · Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has placed a $20 bet to.

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