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Circa Sports Enters Kentucky Sports Betting Market, Marking Its 5th State

Circa Sports signed a licensing agreement with ECL Corbin’s Cumberland Run harness track to enter the Kentucky sports betting market.

Inside A Circa Sports Sportsbook With Large TV Screen with Circa Sports and Kentucky's Cumberland Run logos
Photo by Circa Sports; illustrated by PlayUSA
Katarina Vojvodic Avatar
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Las Vegas-based Circa Sports signed a licensing agreement with ECL Corbin, LLC, at its Cumberland Run harness track to enter the Kentucky sports betting market.

Since yesterday, Kentucky has been among most US states that offer legal online sports betting and sportsbooks started accepting bets in their apps.

Marking its fifth state, Circa Sports will be available at Cumberland Run and its sister satellite gaming and entertainment venue, The Mint Gaming Hall Cumberland, near Williamsburg. There are four The Mint Gaming Hall operations:

  1. Cumberland Run
  2. The Mint Gaming Hall Cumberland
  3. The Mint Gaming Hall at Kentucky Downs
  4. The Mint Gaming Hall Bowling Green

The operator plans to launch an online sportsbook later this year.

Kentucky marks Circa Sports’ fifth gambling state

Circa Sports claims it offers some of the best odds and futures in the country, helmed by some of the sports betting industry’s top professionals.

Headquartered in Las Vegas, the brand is available to players in four Southern Nevada locations, including Circa Resort & Casino, as well as via online betting apps in Colorado and Iowa.

It also announced this week that it is live online in Illinois and via a retail sportsbook at American Place in Waukegan.

The ECL Corbin, LLC properties are owned by a partnership headed by Las Vegas entrepreneurs and casino veterans Ron Winchell and Marc Falcone, with Keeneland racetrack in Lexington having a minority stake.

In a Circa Sports press release, CEO Derek Stevens said:

“Circa Sports has experienced tremendous growth since our 2019 launch, and we’re thrilled to introduce our operations to the great Commonwealth of Kentucky. We are grateful to our partners at Cumberland Run for bringing this to life and look forward to sharing what the brand has in store for Kentucky.”

Kentucky online sports betting went live on Sept. 28

Circa Sports was one of the first operators that applied for a license in Kentucky. The operator received the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) license and plans to launch an online app later this year.

In-person betting at Kentucky’s tracks and historical horse racing satellite venues launched on Sept. 7, whereas online sportsbooks started taking bets on Sept. 28.

Currently, seven available operators in Kentucky are already accepting wagers from sports bettors, which include:

  • Barstool Sportsbook
  • Bet365
  • BetMGM
  • Caesars
  • DraftKings
  • Fanatics Sportsbook
  • FanDuel

All operators must pay $50,000 for a Kentucky license as well as $10,000 for an annual renewal. Tracks that partnered with sportsbooks will pay $500,000 for their license and $50,000 every year. Each track can team with up to three online app providers.

Kentucky joins seven of its neighboring states that have already legalized sports betting. It is one of the minority US jurisdictions that chose to set its minimum gambling age at 18.

With the Bluegrass State setting the minimum betting age for online sportsbooks to be 18, Kentucky operators are encouraged to raise the age limit voluntarily.

Katarina Vojvodic Avatar
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Katarina Vojvodic is a lead writer for PlayUSA who lives in Toronto. Vojvodic provides coverage of the US gambling industry with a focus on US online casinos. Previously, she covered Ontario’s online gambling industry for PlayCanada.com. Vojvodic holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Belgrade. Outside working hours, she can be found near the water with her husband and their two kids.

View all posts by Katarina Vojvodic

Katarina Vojvodic is a lead writer for PlayUSA who lives in Toronto. Vojvodic provides coverage of the US gambling industry with a focus on US online casinos. Previously, she covered Ontario’s online gambling industry for PlayCanada.com. Vojvodic holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Belgrade. Outside working hours, she can be found near the water with her husband and their two kids.