Larry has decades of experience in the U.S. gambling industry, with a deep understanding of how casinos operate and evolve under changing regulations.Drawing on years of insight from Las Vegas and beyond - including work with the Las Vegas Sun, Reno Gazette-Journal and KFSM-TV 5NEWS - he specialises in uncovering the stories, trends and decisions that drive the casino industry across North America.
According to the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, in March, about 532,000 attempts to bet on sports were blocked by Kentuckians wanting to wager in nearby states.
Sports betting is outlawed in Kentucky but is legal in most surrounding states. Bets in the legal states are blocked if they originate from Kentucky.
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Koenig said the blocked geolocation transactions during March show Kentucky should legalize sports betting. He said the state is “missing out” on tax revenue.
The NCAA men’s and women’s March Madness basketball tournaments took place mainly during March. Kentuckians, known to be enthusiastic basketball fans, could not legally bet on the games.
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Chamber Of Commerce Supports Sports Betting
John Cox, the Kentucky Chamber’s public affairs director, recently tweeted a map showing the blocked geolocation transactions over a 30-day period during March.
The blocked attempts were complied by GeoComply, a Canada-based company providing geolocation compliance and fraud-security services.
“Half a million attempts to make bets on sporting events in KY blocked last month,” Cox recently tweeted. “Why not collect that revenue & give people what they want?”
According to the information that Cox tweeted, 85% of the geolocation transactions were from people in Kentucky attempting to access legal sportsbooks in the bordering states of Indiana, Virginia, and Tennessee.
In March, nearly 41,000 “unique sportsbook player accounts” were geolocated in Kentucky, according to Cox.
Following a recess, lawmakers will return to the statehouse in Frankfort on Wednesday and Thursday to wrap up this year’s legislative session.
The state House previously approved HB606 by a margin of almost 2-1, but the Senate would also need to green-light the bill before it can be sent to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear for his consideration.
The governor has indicated he supports sports betting. Unless the bill is approved in the Senate this week, it will die at the Legislature this year without making it to the governor’s desk.
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Bill Faces Resistance In Senate
The sports betting bill’s fate in the Senate is uncertain.
Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, has said he doubts there is enough support for sports betting to be approved in the upper chamber.
Republicans outnumber Democrats in the Senate, 30-8.
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However, Thayer, who supports sports betting, told Gambling.com it would be “a natural” in Kentucky, given the state’s long history with horse racing and legal parimutuel wagering.
The Kentucky Derby, held annually in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, is the first leg of the Triple Crown and one of the most celebrated races worldwide.
Koenig’s bill would legalize mobile sports betting and on-site wagering at horse tracks. It would also permit online poker and fantasy sports games.
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