Where to Bet on Horse Racing in Kentucky

This page covers Kentucky online horse betting in full: the licensed racebooks, every track and meet in the state, the Derby and the Breeders’ Cup, and the legal age and tax rules.

In this article 12 sections

• Kentucky horse betting offers
• Kentucky horse betting: the key facts
• Is online horse betting legal in Kentucky?
• Fixed-odds horse betting comes to Kentucky
• Horse betting sites in Kentucky
• Best KY horse betting apps
• Kentucky horse racing tracks and meets
• The Kentucky Derby and other major races
• Types of horse racing bets in Kentucky
• Tax on Kentucky horse racing winnings
• Responsible horse betting in Kentucky
• Kentucky horse racing betting in 2027

Kentucky horse betting offers

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   New AmWager customers 21+ in eligible states. Deposit $50 and bet $50 within 30 days of opening the account (show betting excluded) to earn a $50 wagering credit, paid within 7 business days. The credit must be wagered, unused credit expires after 30 days and winnings are cash. One account per person, one offer per household.

Kentucky is the home of horse racing in the United States, and online betting on it is legal throughout the Bluegrass State. Advance deposit wagering (ADW) has been part of Kentucky racing for years, long before sports betting arrived in 2023, and the leading online racebooks in the industry have a strong presence here.

Wagering in Kentucky is possible online, at the tracks, and at a handful of off-track gaming venues such as Derby City Gaming in Louisville and Newport Racing & Gaming. AmWager is our horse racing partner for Kentucky bettors.

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Kentucky horse betting: the key facts

Online horse betting	Yes, through KHRGC-licensed ADWs
Regulator	Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation (KHRGC)
Legal age for pari-mutuel wagering	18+ under state law (AmWager requires 21+)
ADW tax	1.5% of wagers placed by Kentucky residents
Fixed-odds racing bets	Legalized by HB 904, effective July 15, 2026
Thoroughbred tracks	Churchill Downs, Keeneland, Ellis Park, Kentucky Downs, Turfway Park
Harness tracks	The Red Mile, Oak Grove
Breeders’ Cup	Keeneland, October 30-31, 2026

Is online horse betting legal in Kentucky?

Yes. The Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation licenses ADW operators, and licensees must verify customers’ age and identity, protect personal data and post bonds or letters of credit. Approved ADWs pay a $1,000 annual license fee and a 1.5% tax on all wagers placed by Kentucky residents, a rate that rose from 0.5% under HB 607 in 2022.

The legal age for pari-mutuel wagering in Kentucky is 18. When lawmakers raised the sports betting age to 21 in 2026 through HB 904, they left the horse racing age unchanged. Individual operators can set a higher bar: AmWager requires account holders to be 21 or older, and some venues, including Turfway Park, Oak Grove, The Red Mile and Kentucky Downs, only admit guests 21 and over.

Fixed-odds horse betting comes to Kentucky

HB 904, passed over Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto on April 14, 2026, did more than raise the sports betting age. It allows Kentucky racing operators to offer fixed-odds wagering alongside traditional pari-mutuel pools, and it set a 15% tax on fixed-odds revenue. The law took effect on July 15, 2026.

The difference matters. In a pari-mutuel pool, your payout is set by the final odds when the gates open, after everyone else’s money is in. With fixed odds, the price you take is the price you get, the way a sportsbook works. The KHRGC has not yet announced a launch date for fixed-odds racing bets, so every Kentucky horse bet you place today is still pari-mutuel.

Horse betting sites in Kentucky

The KHRGC’s list of licensed online racebooks is one of the longest in the country. It includes TwinSpires, AmWager, FanDuel Racing, TVG, Caesars Racebook, NYRA Bets, Xpressbet, DK Horse, WatchandWager, 1/ST Bet, OffTrackBetting.com, Iron Bets Racing, BataviaBets and Keeneland Select.

These Kentucky horse racing sites are the standouts:

• AmWager: our partner in Kentucky. One of the established names in the industry, with markets from tracks across the US and abroad, live video and a clean bet slip. 21+.
• TwinSpires: owned by Churchill Downs Inc., which makes it the house racebook for the Kentucky Derby, with deep handicapping content.
• TVG and FanDuel Racing: FanDuel’s racing products, with TVG’s television network and broad track coverage.
• Keeneland Select: Keeneland’s own ADW platform.
• DRF Bets: the Daily Racing Form’s platform, with past performances built into the wagering screens.

Welcome promotions at non-partner racebooks change often; check each operator’s terms page directly.

Best KY horse betting apps

Every major Kentucky ADW runs iOS and Android apps with live streaming, past performances and quick bet slips. Things to compare:

• Track coverage and video: whether the app streams Churchill, Keeneland and the smaller Kentucky meets you follow.
• Rewards and rebates: how points or cash-back are earned on your handle.
• Withdrawals: how fast funds clear to your bank, card or PayPal.
• Handicapping tools: free past performances, replays and expert picks.

Kentucky horse racing tracks and meets

The state is home to legendary racetracks, and the calendar runs almost year-round once you count the smaller meets.

• Churchill Downs (Louisville): home of the Kentucky Derby. Its main season runs from late April through early July, with further racing in September and November.
• Keeneland (Lexington): short, prestigious spring meets in April and fall meets in October. Keeneland hosts some of the leading races on the American calendar, including the Blue Grass Stakes and the Breeders’ Futurity, and it is home to the world’s best-known thoroughbred auctions.
• Ellis Park (Henderson): summer thoroughbred racing in July and August, on the Ohio River across from Evansville.
• Kentucky Downs (Franklin): a short, all-turf meet in late August and early September, famous for its European-style undulating course and some of the richest purses in the country.
• Turfway Park (Florence, near Cincinnati): winter racing on a synthetic surface from late November through early April.
• The Red Mile (Lexington): harness racing from August into October, including the Kentucky Futurity for trotters.
• Oak Grove Racing (Oak Grove, near Fort Campbell): harness racing in May and June.
• Sandy’s Racing & Gaming (Ashland): opened in October 2023 with historical racing machines, off-track betting and a quarter horse track.

Historical horse racing in Kentucky

Most of the tracks above, plus Derby City Gaming and Newport Racing & Gaming, offer historical horse racing (HHR) machines. They look and play like slots, but outcomes are generated from the results of past races. HHR revenue is a big reason Kentucky purses have risen, and it is the closest thing to slot play in a state with no commercial casinos.

The Kentucky Derby and other major races

Residents of the Bluegrass State host the biggest events in American racing.

• Kentucky Derby: run on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs, the signature event of the American racing calendar and the one every owner, trainer and jockey wants to win. Golden Tempo won the 2026 Derby on May 2 at 23-1. Total betting on the race, including multi-race wagers ending in the Derby, was $215.97 million, down 3% from 2025’s record, per the Daily Racing Form, and commingled betting on the 14-race card was $331.1 million. The 2027 Derby falls on May 1.
• Kentucky Oaks: the Friday before the Derby, for the leading three-year-old fillies. Always a Runner won the 2026 Oaks on May 1, and betting set records: $29.2 million on the race and $89 million on the 13-race card, per Churchill Downs figures reported by DRF.
• Breeders’ Cup World Championships: Keeneland hosts on October 30-31, 2026, its fourth time after 2015, 2020 and 2022. Belmont Park takes the event in 2027.
• Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland in April, a key Derby prep, and the Kentucky Downs turf stakes in September, which draw international runners.

Betting the Derby online from Kentucky

Derby Day is the busiest wagering day of the year for every Kentucky ADW. Here’s how a common exotic works. A $1 trifecta box on three horses costs $6, because it covers all six finishing orders of those three. If they finish one-two-three in any order, you collect the trifecta payout for a $1 ticket. Fields of up to 20 horses mean Derby trifectas and superfectas often pay big, and the price isn’t known until the race is official.

Types of horse racing bets in Kentucky

Kentucky online horse betting types include a full menu of pari-mutuel wagers. The most popular is the win bet, where you back the winner of the race.

Place and show bets allow you to back a horse to finish in the top two or three respectively. Exacta and trifecta bets ask for the correct order of the top two or three horses, and the superfecta extends that to four. Multi-race bets such as the Daily Double, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5 and Pick 6 ask you to find the winners of consecutive races. There is no shortage of wagers available.

Tax on Kentucky horse racing winnings

Winnings are taxable. Kentucky taxes gambling winnings as income under its flat individual income tax, which dropped to 3.5% for 2026. On the federal side, pari-mutuel wins over $600 that pay at least 300 times the stake trigger a W-2G, and 24% withholding applies to wins over $5,000 at 300-to-1 or more. From the 2026 tax year, federal gambling loss deductions are capped at 90% of losses, so keep records of every ticket.

Responsible horse betting in Kentucky

Set a budget for the meet or the big day before you start, and use the deposit limits and time-outs every licensed ADW offers. The Kentucky Council on Problem Gambling points Kentuckians to 1-800-GAMBLER, free, confidential and open 24/7.

What is the best horse racing betting site in Kentucky?

It depends what you bet. AmWager, our partner, offers US and international tracks with live video and a simple bet slip. TwinSpires, owned by Churchill Downs, has deep handicapping content, TVG and FanDuel Racing add television and streaming coverage, NYRA Bets is the home of Saratoga, Belmont and Aqueduct wagering and DRF Bets builds Daily Racing Form past performances into the bet slip. Holding two accounts is common in Kentucky, since rebates and track coverage differ from app to app.

Is online horse betting legal in Kentucky?

Yes. The Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation licenses ADW operators such as AmWager, TwinSpires and TVG, and Kentucky residents can bet online on races at home and across the country.

How old do you need to be to bet on horses in Kentucky?

18 under Kentucky law for pari-mutuel wagering; the 2026 law that raised the sports betting age to 21 did not change it. AmWager requires 21+, and some tracks only admit guests 21 and over.

Can I bet the Kentucky Derby online?

Yes. Every licensed ADW takes Derby bets, including win, place, show, exotics and multi-race wagers ending in the Derby. The 2027 Derby is on May 1 at Churchill Downs.

What is fixed-odds horse betting in Kentucky?

A bet where the odds are locked when you place it, as at a sportsbook. HB 904 legalized it from July 15, 2026, but regulators have not yet set a launch date, so current Kentucky racing bets remain pari-mutuel.

Do I pay tax on horse racing winnings in Kentucky?

Yes. Winnings count as income for Kentucky’s flat income tax and for federal tax. Large pari-mutuel payouts trigger a W-2G, and wins over $5,000 at 300-to-1 or more face 24% federal withholding.