DraftKings Kentucky: Everything You Need to Know About Launch

Sports bettors in the state of Kentucky will be happy to know that it won’t be long until go live in the Bluegrass State. Governor Andy Beshear recently signed HB 551 into law, which makes sports betting legal in the state. 

The bill has already been signed into law, and it will go into effect in June. From June, regulators have six months to finalize the framework of sports betting in Kentucky. Depending on the speed of the licensing and regulatory process, online Kentucky sports betting could launch as soon as December 2023 or early 2024. Retail sports betting could launch even sooner.

That means that sports bettors in Kentucky will soon be able to place legal sports wagers via the best betting apps and retail sportsbooks.

The Kentucky Racing Commission will be in charge of regulating the state’s sports betting industry. The state’s nine horse racing tracks are permitted to open retail sportsbooks under the legislation. 

Each horse racing track can partner with up to three online sportsbooks, allowing a total of 27 betting apps to launch in the state.

It is still too early to know which operators will open up their shops in Kentucky, but we expect DraftKings Kentucky to be one of the sportsbooks to apply for a license to launch in the state.

Is DraftKings Legal in Kentucky?

Yes, is now technically legal in the state of Kentucky after sports betting was legalized in the state by Governor Andy Beshear, who signed HB 551 in late March, paving the way for DraftKings Kentucky and other sportsbook operators to go live in the state in the near future. 

DraftKings KY will almost certainly apply for a license and it is very likely to be granted one, which means that DraftKings Kentucky will likely launch in the state in both online and retail formats, giving Kentucky sports bettors a great option to begin their legal wagering adventure.

DraftKings Kentucky Promo Code For Launch

Since it’s still early, we do not know for sure yet what the DraftKings Kentucky promo code will be, but we do have an idea of what it could be based on what is offered in other legal sports betting states. 

There is a good chance the DraftKings Kentucky promo code will be: Bet $5 and get $150 in bonus bets. New customers will only need to deposit and then wager $5 in order to score $150 in bonus bets if their bet wins. This deal has been offered in tons of other legal markets and it's a favorite of DraftKings Sportsbook. However, you never know - maybe they have something special in mind for Kentucky.

DraftKings Kentucky Promo Terms & Conditions

Again, we do not know exactly what the DraftKings Kentucky promo code will be in the state, but if it is something similar to the bet $5 to win $150 offer, then we know the framework of the potential welcome bonus. Below, we list the likely terms and conditions of signing up for this DraftKings KY app.

1. Make your first deposit of at least $5
2. Bet $5 on any sport via a pre-game moneyline
3. If your bet wins, you will get $150 in bonus bets in the form of six $25 bonus bets
4. You will get one week in order to use your bonus bets
5. The bonus bets come with a 1x rollover, meaning you will need to bet through them just one time until you are able to withdraw any associated winning from the bonus bets

Again, the DraftKings KY welcome offer may ultimately be different from the one described above, but these terms and conditions are common across the different states when it comes to the likely DraftKings KY promo code.

Top Features of the DraftKings Kentucky App

The DraftKings Kentucky app is not live yet, but once it goes live, it will be one of the best sports betting apps in the state. DraftKings is typically a market leader when it goes live in a new market. Here are some of the top expected features at DraftKings KY:

• Cash Out: With the cash-out option, you can cut your losses and get back part of your original stake if your team is losing their game. Alternatively, you can take an early profit if your team is winning early, instead of waiting to see who wins the full-game score.
• Live Betting: With live betting, you can bet on sports live while they are playing out in real-time. This gives you the advantage of actually being able to watch the gain and use all the information you extract in order to place a bet while the game is being played.
• DraftKings Dynasty Rewards System: There is also the DraftKings Dynasty Rewards System, where you will accumulate points the more that you bet on sports. The points are given to you in the form of crowns, which you can then redeem for rewards, which include using your crowns for bonus bets or redeeming them for other great prizes. The more that you bet, the higher you will move up in the DraftKings Dynasty Reward tiers!

Can you bet on college sports in Kentucky?

Yes, you will be able to bet on college sports in Kentucky once sports betting goes live in the Bluegrass State.

That means you can bet on college sports involving in-state teams like the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky, plus college teams based outside Kentucky.

DraftKings Horse Racing

DraftKings KY will likely only offer sports betting on its mobile app. As for betting on horse racing, you'll need to use DK Horse, which is a DraftKings-affiliated horse racing site that allows you to wager on all of your favorite horse races across the United States. 

While DK Horse has the DraftKings name attached to it, you still need to create a separate account.

At DK Horse, you can bet on all of your favorite horse races, including the Kentucky Derby, which is one of the biggest and most famous horse races in the world. The DK Horse app is already live in Kentucky, so download it to check out their markets and bet on horse racing today.

Can You Bet The Kentucky Derby on DraftKings?

You can bet on the Kentucky Derby via the DK Horse app or website. DK Horse, a DraftKings-affiliated site, allows you to wager on all of your favorite horse races, including the Kentucky Derby. Keep in mind that since DK Horse is different from DraftKings Kentucky, you have to create a separate account for DK Horse if you plan on using it for horse racing bets. 

The DK Horse app is already live in Kentucky, so you can wager on horse races via the app now. The 2023 Kentucky Derby takes place in early May, so you can wager on that event via the DK Horse app. Another thing to note about the DK Horse app is that you can live stream races, meaning you can watch the horse races while you bet on them.

Final Word on DraftKings Kentucky

While it has not launched yet, we expect DraftKings Kentucky to go live by the end of 2023 or early 2024, which will give Kentucky sports bettors access to one of the best sporting apps in the state potentially in time for the NFL playoffs. DraftKings Sportsbook has been one of the best operators in other states across the nation for several years now, and it will likely soon bring its immersive sports betting experience to sports bettors in Kentucky. 

We expect the DraftKings KY app to offer sports bettors the ability to bet on all sorts of different sports markets, as well as competitive welcome bonuses and odds boosts. Overall, we’re excited about the launch of DraftKings Kentucky in the coming months.