Governor Andy Beshear has signed House Bill 551, making Kentucky sports betting legal. The bill passed the Senate earlier that day by a 25-12 vote, despite facing long odds on the last day of the legislative session. The law allows for in-person and online sports betting at Kentucky Speedway and the state’s nine horse racing tracks, with a $500,000 upfront fee and an annual renewal cost of $50,000. Participating tracks can contract with up to three service providers for sports wagering services, giving Kentuckians up to 27 sportsbook options. Service providers will have to pay $50,000 for an initial license…

We have a week full of gambling news to cover, with sports betting news in Colorado and betting kiosks rolling out in Montana! Also, as betting on horses thrives in Kentucky, some there have a “moral objection” to betting on sports! Plus, tribal gaming news from Oklahoma and Chinese hackers hit online gambling sites!   Hello people, and thanks for joining me on on another stroll through the gambling news. Although this week we don’t have a big story, just a bunch of little ones! So let’s get right into it with betting on sports in Colorado! Seven licenses for…

The continuing fight over Kentucky sports betting has split the state legislature. It seems any effort to legalize gambling other than horse racing has always exposed tensions between Republicans, and House Speaker David Osborne has said sports betting legislation is a “very divisive” issue that brings out strong emotions. The bill sailed through a legislative committee nearly a month ago but has languished in the full House since then while awaiting a vote, Local 12 reports. In a House Thursday speech, Republican Rep. Chris Fugate denounced gambling on moral grounds. In the Senate, where Republican leaders typically present a united…

We have a week full of online gambling news with headlines about online gambling in Michigan, sports betting in Kentucky, poker in California, and tribal gaming in Oklahoma! Hello friends and welcome to This Week in Gambling! Our last show before I take a week off to attend the International Casino Expo in London, England. So, I’m filming this early on Saturday, so if something happens… some major big gambling story breaks between now and Tuesday… don’t come yelling at me! This week’s stories begin in the state of Michigan, where online gambling news was good recently. Legislators had passed…

Things were looking good for Kentucky sports betting as we reported not long ago. It had easily cleared a House committee and was looking like an easy pass in the full House, but that may be as far as it gets. State Representative Al Gentry,a co-sponsor of the bill, says there are enough votes to pass the bill in the House, but “the senate is a different story” he says. Citing his organization’s informal polling, Family Foundation spokesman Martin Cothran issued a press release Wednesday declaring the bill to be “in trouble.” It is, at the least, in escalating doubt….

A bill to regulate Kentucky sports betting has passed through a state House committee with an 18-0 vote and has excellent odds to clear the full chamber. House Bill 137 would establish a framework in the state to legally bet on sport events and play online poker and fantasy sports. Twenty states have now legalized sports betting. Kentucky sports betting bill sponsor Rep. Adam Koenig pointed out that the state is “largely surrounded” by states that have already taken that step to tap into some of the estimated $150 billion of illegal sports wagering in the country each year. “It…