Red Mile in Lexington prepares for in-person sports betting
LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — We are roughly 48 hours away from the start of in-person sports betting in Kentucky.
Although Kentucky isn’t the first state to implement sports betting, it is one of the fastest to get it from a piece of legislation to a reality.
There is a lot of excitement for what this new venture could bring to the state, and racetracks across the state have been hard at work preparing for sports betting’s arrival.
One of those tracks is Red Mile in Lexington.
Leaders with Red Mile said the state couldn’t have picked a better day to start in-person sports betting, and they hope opening night of the NFL season will give them the boost they need to get it off the ground come Thursday.
They’ve also made some changes to the track to make it easier for fans who want to make a bet.
The old clubhouse is now a redesigned sports book, lined with TVs to watch the action and state-of-the-art kiosks to place bets. You can also do it the old-fashioned way at the window with one of Red Mile’s attendants.
VP of Racing & Sports Betting for Red Mile Gabe Prewitt said Kentucky’s background in horse racing laid a blueprint for sports betting, and they’re excited to get in the game.
“Sports wagering in Kentucky, every poll you look at was north of 70% approval with the public,” Prewitt said. “I’m not sure we get 70% of the people to agree today’s Monday typically in most cases. So, you know, the excitement, the buzz, the thirst for this product is real. So, I think it’s it really is great. And we’re so looking forward to inviting a new demographic onto the property.”
The thrill of hitting a bet can be exhilarating, but the agony of loss after loss can lead to big trouble if you’re not careful. The average gambler loses roughly $500 a year, according to a survey by the National Council on Problem Gambling in the United States. This includes all forms of gambling, including sports betting.
There are four main factors that lead to high gambling losses: a person’s income (the more you make, the more you’re willing to bet), the type of game (skill vs. chance), how often you gamble, and whether or not you’re addicted to gambling.
Like horse betting, sports betting in Kentucky is open to anyone 18 years of age and older.
At the state level, if you or someone you know has a gambling problem, you can call the Kentucky Council on Problem Gambling (1-800-432-2537).
State law also requires that 2.5% of annual sports betting revenue go towards problem gambling issues.
Red Mile is partnering with Caesars Sportsbook for their sports betting operations.
Caesars is one of the largest sportsbooks in the country, and once sports betting goes live online in the Commonwealth on Sept. 28, you can set limits for time, money deposited, and money wagered right there in the app.
During the only in-person betting period, it’ll be on Red Mile to monitor bettors.
“We take that very seriously,” Prewitt proclaimed. “One thing that we’re going above and beyond to do is do 21 and over. That’s such a thing that’s Caesar’s as well. Many of the sportsbooks in the States are sticking to 18 and over. That is our age for horse racing, obviously. But we feel it’s important given our proximity to downtown here.”
When we asked what specific policies Red Mile would have to prevent people from wagering too much at the sportsbook, we were not given a clear answer.
Prewitt held true to the track’s 21+ policy and said they had resources online.
