Kentucky Pari-Mutuel Betting Handle Drops to Over $6 Million in December
Kentucky is home to many of our best sports betting sites, but it also has a huge horse racing industry.
The pari-mutuel betting handle in Kentucky hit $6.5 million in December 2024, with over $1 million coming from wagers placed on live horse racing. The remaining $5.5 million was generated by off-track betting and simulcast wagering.
Most simulcast bets were placed on thoroughbred racing, which attracted a handle of almost $4.5 million. Meanwhile, standardbred horses saw wagers of nearly $950,000. Quarter horses only generated a handle of over $50,000. KY bettors also wagered $751 on all other breeds of horses.
Only two racetracks generated a live horse racing betting handle in December 2024, with Turfway Park bringing the most significant bets with a handle of over $902,000. Churchill Downs Racetrack collected over $164,000 in wagers.
For the simulcast handle, Keeneland Racetrack saw the most wagers, generating nearly $1.4 million in handle. That was followed by Churchill Downs, which generated over $1.1 million. Turfway Park rounded out the top three handle generators by collecting more than $814,000.
| Racetrack | December 2024 Combined Handle |
|---|---|
| Churchill Downs (live and simulcast) | $1,313,919 |
| Louisville Thoroughbred Society | $1,542 |
| Cumberland Run Racetrack | $34,448 |
| Ellis Park Racetrack | $542,065 |
| Keeneland Racetrack | $1,395,875 |
| Kentucky Downs Racetrack | $515,600 |
| Red Mile Racetrack | $758,480 |
| Revolutionary Racing Kentucky | $86,861 |
| Turfway Park (live and simulcast) | $1,717,464 |
| Oak Grove Racetrack | $192,398 |
| Total | $6,558,652 |
Live horse racing betting rises but simulcast falls
The live horse racing betting handle in December 2024 was around $1.06 million, an increase of almost 5.1% from the $1.01 generated last December. That’s despite Turfway Park hosting 18 races last year, three more than the 15 held in December 2024. Churchill Downs hosted one race in 2024 and none last year.
However, the simulcast betting handle dropped significantly by 23.7%, from nearly $7.2 million to over $5.4 million.
| Racetrack | December 2023 Handle | December 2024 Handle | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Churchill Downs (live and simulcast 2024) | $1,622,285 | $1,313,919 | -19.0% |
| Louisville Thoroughbred Society | $9,096 | $1,542 | -83.0% |
| Cumberland Run Racetrack | $73,391 | $34,448 | -53.1% |
| Ellis Park Racetrack | $744,549 | $542,065 | -27.2% |
| Keeneland Racetrack | $1,726,503 | $1,395,875 | -19.2% |
| Kentucky Downs Racetrack | $816,708 | $515,600 | -36.9% |
| Red Mile Racetrack | $1,122,120 | $758,480 | -32.4% |
| Revolutionary Racing Kentucky | $95,369 | $86,861 | -8.9% |
| Turfway Park (live and simulcast) | $1,799,130 | $1,717,464 | -4.5% |
| Oak Grove Racetrack | $206,833 | $192,398 | -7.0% |
| Total | $8,215,984 | $6,558,652 | -20.2% |
The most significant drops in handle came from two leaders: Keeneland Racetrack and Churchill Downs Racetrack. Keeneland saw its handle fall from $1.7 million to $1.3 million year-on-year. Meanwhile, the handle at Churchill Downs dropped by almost 29.2%.
While the Kentucky horse racing betting industry had a dip, Kentucky sports betting on other events thrived. The Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation announced its figures for the first year of legal sports betting in October 2024, revealing the sports betting handle hit nearly $2.3 billion during this period.
