Sports betting grew by nearly 25% year-over-year in the Bluegrass State in July.
Key Takeaways
- Kentucky sports betting operators also enjoyed a 15% year-over-year revenue increase during a slow summer month.
- An 11% hold helped boost profits and keep a strong year for sportsbooks through seven months.
- DraftKings and FanDuel both recorded holds of over 11%.
The Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation recently announced online and retail sportsbooks generated $161.4 million, a significant increase from the $129.3 million wagered in July 2024 during one of the year's slowest sports months.
With MLB, golf, tennis, and soccer largely driving the action, operators thrived, generating $17.7 million in gross revenue, a 15% year-over-year increase, and $17.3 million in adjusted gross revenue.
Online sports betting in Kentucky accounted for $16.97 million of the total July handle, with retail sportsbooks generating almost $3 million in wagers, nearly $1 million less than July 2024. Operators paid out $2.4 million to the Bluegrass State, increasing the year-to-date tax revenue total to nearly $24 million.
Year of high holds
Sportsbooks produced an 11% hold in July and extended Kentucky's double-digit win rate streak to four consecutive months, matching the longest streak in its nearly two-year run of sports betting.
Kentucky operators have dominated the betting market in 2025. July marks the third-lowest hold of the year but the sixth month with a win rate of over 10%. May produced a 12.5% hold, followed by 13% in June. It’s been a strong summer for sportsbooks.
DraftKings, FanDuel crush bettors
| Online Operator | July Handle | Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| DraftKings | $57.3 million | $6.7 million |
| FanDuel | $52.5 million | $6 million |
| bet365 | $17 million | $1.6 million |
| Fanatics Sportsbook | $8.2 million | $1 million |
| Caesars | $8.1 million | $671K |
| BetMGM | $8 million | $652K |
| ESPN BET | $5.6 million | $585K |
DraftKings continued its dominance in the Bluegrass State, generating a sportsbook-best $57.3 million, up from $47.9 million in the same month last year. The online operator also led with $6.7 million in gross revenue thanks to an 11.7% hold.
FanDuel wasn’t far behind with $52.5 million in wagers and $6 million in gross revenue after producing an 11.4% hold. bet365 was third with a $17-million handle, a $2.2-million increase from the previous July.
Fanatics Sportsbook edged Caesars and BetMGM for the fourth spot, generating $8.2 million in wagers. The latter two operators also produced handles of $8 million, but win rates failed to reach double digits.
ESPN BET generated $5.6 million, 55% more year-over-year in wagers. Circa Sports nearly doubled its handle, surpassing $1.6 million in July.
Other operators
Prime Sportsbook launched its online app in Kentucky in late July. The only mobile operator to partner with Churchill Downs Incorporated generated a $10,718 handle in three days of operation and produced a little over $4,600 in profit.
In retail sports betting, Churchill Downs led all brick-and-mortar shops with a handle of $864,328. It was also the only in-person sportsbook to reach $100,000 in revenue. Red Mile made over $62,000 from a $533,642 handle.
