- Kentucky Horse Racing Commission grants temporary licenses to nine sports betting operators including BetFanatics and Penn Sports Interactive.
- Penn Sports Interactive is set to rebrand Barstool Sportsbook as ESPN Bet following a strategic partnership with Disney.
- Seven horse racing tracks and two gaming facilities in Kentucky are allowed up to three mobile sportsbook partners, with a maximum of 27 sportsbooks possible.
- Licenses can be converted to permanent with a one-year term, subject to renewal by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.
- BetMGM, Caesars, and DraftKings plan to offer both retail and mobile sports betting.
- Kentucky is set to levy a 9.75% tax rate on retail sports betting, while mobile betting will be taxed at 14.25%.
BetFanatics became a surprise addition to the emerging Kentucky sports betting scene after state regulators awarded temporary licenses to it and eight other operators on Tuesday.
Another surprise is still playing out. Although the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) awarded a temporary service provider license to Penn Sports Interactive for its Barstool Sportsbook brand, Penn has since announced a strategic partnership with Disney — under which Penn will rebrand Barstool as ESPN Bet.
But there were no other surprises from the KHRC on Tuesday. Earlier this month, bet365, BetMGM Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook, Circa Sports, DraftKings, and FanDuel were known to have submitted applications to the regulator and were expected to win licensure.
