The early start to the college football campaign and a full month of NFL preseason helped Bluegrass State sports betting operators generate 87% more revenue in August than the same month in 2024.
Key Takeaways
- Kentucky sports betting generated a 27.5% year-over-year handle rise in August.
- The win rate reached double digits for the longest streak in Bluegrass State history.
- FanDuel lost out in handle to DraftKings but hauled in more monthly profit.
The Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation recently announced that online and retail sportsbooks hauled in $22.1 million in monthly profits during a much busier August from a handle of $193.1 million, which spiked 27.5% year-over-year.
August profits were also up from the $17.3 million produced in July, and Kentucky online sports betting revenue nearly doubled to $21.4 million from a $187.5-million handle. Retail sportsbook also produced a solid month, bringing in over $744,000 in revenue, more than double from July, on $5.5 million in wagers.
Win rate streak continues
The overall 11.4% hold gave Kentucky its fifth consecutive month with a double-digit win rate. That’s the longest stretch in the Bluegrass State’s wagering history.
August’s win rate ranks third highest in that stretch. Only once in 2025 has it failed to reach at least 10.6%.
More money for operators led to $3.1 million in taxes paid to Kentucky, which has accepted over $594 million in tax revenue since September 2023.
DraftKings, FanDuel crush bettors
| Online Operator | August Handle | Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| DraftKings | $71.4 million | $7.9 million |
| FanDuel | $60.2 million | $8.2 million |
| bet365 | $20.4 million | $1.6 million |
| BetMGM | $9.7 million | $740K |
| Caesars | $9.7 million | $972K |
| Fanatics Sportsbook | $8.9 million | $1.2 million |
| ESPN BET | $5.5 million | $599K |
DraftKings saw a big uptick in wagers, going from $57.3 million in July to over $71 million in August. Kentucky’s all-time leading online sportsbook in handle also turned a $7.9-million profit off an 11.1% hold.
FanDuel had an even more lucrative August behind a 13.6% win rate that led to a state-best $8.2 million in revenue, pushing the operator’s total to over $221 million in profit since wagering began in September 2023.
BetMGM and Caesars each generated $9.7 million to tie for third, but Caesars enjoyed the higher August win rate, reaching 10% to turn a $972,206 profit. Fanatics Sportsbook fell from third to fifth with an $8.9-million handle, but its 13.4% hold helped the operator haul in over $1 million in revenue.
ESPN BET was able to win back over 10% of its $5.5 million in accepted wagers. Prime Sportsbook turned in Kentucky’s lowest win rate with 1.8% on a $430,170 handle in its first full month operating in the Bluegrass State, while Circa Sports also struggled with a 4.6% hold on $1.3 million in wagers.
