Zona de Azar USA – Kentucky Aims to Launch Sportsbooks Before NFL Season for Betting Enthusiasts

USA.- June 5th 2023 www.zonadeazar.com In his boldest declaration of a launch timeline so far, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told reporters on Thursday that state lawmakers and regulators are “committed to making it happen” when it comes to launching sportsbooks by NFL kickoff.

“I will tell you, this is a very ambitious goal to get this launched by the NFL season,” Beshear said during his weekly Team Kentucky press conference. “But every single one of our cabinets and the (Kentucky) Horse Racing Commission have all committed to making it happen.”

Kentucky Horse Racing Commission already getting to work

Beshear included his Kentucky sports betting timeline goal in an overall update about the KHRC hiring new employees to help with regulation. Specifically, Beshear said the commission is actively hiring advisors, analysts and auditors for wagering compliance.

“This is a significant milestone,” Beshear said. “With the additional licensing and enforcement responsibilities, we have to add these jobs. That’s the first step toward implementation of this program.”

In addition, Beshear said commissioners are trying to learn from other states’ experiences in order to make Kentucky’s sports betting launch as quick and seamless as possible.

“(The KHRC) is actively engaged with officials from other states, with likely participants inside the state, on what will be the initial emergency regulations to get the program up and going,” Beshear said. “They’re looking at best practices. These meetings and conversations are occurring right now with an ambitious goal of getting this launched by the NFL season.”

Reasons to believe Beshear’s confident statement

The Kentucky sports betting bill will take effect on June 28. It stipulates the industry must launch by Dec. 28. But Beshear, State Sen. Damon Thayer and KHRC Chair Jonathan Rabinowitz have already publicly said they hope for a pre-NFL launch.

Beshear’s Thursday declaration happens to be the most confident statement coming from the governor. And it carries more weight, as the regulation and pre-launch process has probably begun. Beshear likely wouldn’t sound this bullish if it seemed an NFL launch wasn’t possible.

NFL games begin Sept. 7. Beshear signed the bill in late March. So that’s about a five-month timeframe from legalization to a hopeful launch. That’s an aggressive timeframe, but it’s not unprecedented.

Kansas, for instance, had its sports betting bill signed in mid-May last year and sportsbook apps launched Sept. 8. That’s a four-month turnaround.

Edited by: @MaiaDigital www.zonadeazar.com