Kentuckians Keen on Sports Wagering, GeoComply Data Suggests

Wagering on sports in Kentucky continues to be illegal but this did not prevent residents of the state that is more popular with horse racing to open sports betting accounts in neighboring six states.

Legalize Sports Betting or Continue Losing Revenue

According to data released by geolocation services provider GeoComply, more than 180,000 betting accounts have been opened by people residing in Kentucky in neighboring states since the start of the new NFL season in September.

Residents of the Bluegrass State made more than 5 million geolocation transactions from those accounts, GeoComply revealed, outlining that only wagering attempts have been blocked as sports wagering in Kentucky is still illegal and GeoComply serves mobile operators which need to be sure that all wagers are placed in a legal jurisdiction.

But the issue of sports betting legality in Kentucky may soon change as the state legislators are currently considering a new bill. House Bill 105 was introduced to the state Senate on January 5 and if approved, will legalize online sports betting, poker and fantasy sports.

The bill will also allow horse racetracks to partner with online sports betting operators and take their fair share of the lucrative market which is currently being siphoned to one of six Kentucky neighbor states, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, which all allow legal wagering on sports.

Neighboring States Benefit from Kentucky’s Inactivity

According to the latest official data, more than half of the 4.5 million people living in Kentucky are living in one of eight metropolitan areas that either include areas in neighboring states which allow sports wagering, or are adjacent to these states.

In January, GeoComply tracked just over 2,000 unique gambling accounts initially located in Kentucky and later on located in Ohio, while the total number of verified geolocation checks for users located in Kentucky was one million and around 58,000 user accounts attempted to place a wager from the state but were not allowed.

GeoComply noted that geolocation data showed that Kentucky’s inaction on sports betting legalization benefits the Buckeye State as the market there continued to grow and is shaping to be one of the largest nationwide.

“It is not surprising that there’s still great enthusiasm for legal sports betting in Ohio,” commented John Pappas, senior vice president of government and public affairs at GeoComply.

“What is surprising is it is surpassing markets like New York,” he added. Before legal wagering was available in Ohio, Kentuckians traveled to neighboring Michigan to wager, the geolocation specialist outlined.