Lexington’s oldest horse racing track is one of a handful of sites approved for sports wagering by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission Tuesday. The start date is September 7th. Gabe Prewitt is the vice president of Racing and Sports Wagering. He said the K-H-R-C’s decision wasn’t really a surprise.
“All the way through this process. We've been working very closely with the HRC on really almost a daily basis along with Keeneland and the folks at Caesars so, you know, we expected that to happen. And it's great, great to see that come through.”
Prewitt said there’ll be 14 self-service kiosks at the track and five betting stations staffed by people. Off-site wagering through the Red Mile and its partner, Caesars Entertainment, begins September 28th, which will provide a three-week window for the track to gain new customers.
“The busiest three weeks in the entire existence of this sports book are going to be the first three weeks, you know, because there's just no other way to bet. So, you know, that's sort of a unique scenario it puts you in, but, you know, we're looking forward to it.”
Prewitt said mobile wagering income will likely far exceed what’s brought in on-site, and both sources of income will support continued live racing at the harness racing track established in 1875.
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