Playing casino games in the state of Kentucky in a land based casino is simply out of the question. Although the state has a rich history in gambling and is home to the biggest horse races in the United States, the law does not allow land based casinos of any kind, not even at the race tracks. Online casinos and online gambling in general also took a hit when the state of Kentucky ordered the seizure of 132 gambling related domain names because the did not have blocks on them meaning that residents of Kentucky could access them. Of course this was simply absurd and did absolutely nothing to stop casino players in the state playing online casino games.
Why there are no Casinos in Kentucky
From an outsiders point of view it always comes as a surprise to find that there are no land based casinos in Kentucky. Due to the state being well known for gambling on horse racing, then why no casinos? It’s probably due to the fact that horse racing and gambling on horse racing is so popular in the state that there are no casinos. There have been attempts to legalize, regulate and build casinos in Kentucky and a large amount of politicians and residents are all for them. In 1999 the governor of the state attempted to get approval for 14 new casinos to be built within the state, however this, as all attempts, failed to materialize. The opposition in large, comes from the horse racing industry and the fear is that should casinos be established then this could potentially take away a huge amount of revenue from the tracks, that the industry so heavily depends on. Home to some of the best horse racing facilities in the world then it’s no wonder that the industry in general is against it as tracks such as the world famous Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby rely on residents and tourists alike and the 2012 Derby attracted over 165,000 visitors to the track on that day alone. There are of course many other tracks and they hold events other than racing, keeping the gates open most of the year round. Maybe one day we’ll see land based casinos in the state, but many observers believe that to do this would mean finding a way of appeasing the major players in the horse racing industry.
Online Casinos for Residents of Kentucky
Kentucky had a battle with online gaming, it simply wanted to stop online gaming companies to stop offering their services to residents of the state. They seized 132 domain names relating to the online gaming industry in an attempt to make this happen. However, this rather strange attempt to not permit its residents playing casino games online did not and never could work. This was done, many observers agree, because of pressure by the existing horse racing industry in an attempt to save any potential loss of profit. Many thousands of online casino fans in Kentucky will know that residents of the state can and indeed do play casino games online. There are many online casinos that welcome residents of the state and they’ll offer state of the art well designed games, superb welcome bonuses, rewards, competitions and great VIP programs. There’s all the games on offer that you enjoy playing such as Blackjack, Roulette, Video Poker, Baccarat, Craps and online slots, plenty of slots of all themes and variations. With no land based casinos in the state, online casinos provide players from Kentucky the only real option they have barring an interstate trip, which is a little much just to spin a few slots for an hour or so now and again.
Casino Games in Kentucky Summary
As you can see, there is only the one option when it comes to playing casino games in the state of Kentucky, and that is to play online. Kentucky as a state is missing out on the millions of dollars that legalized and regulated gambling can bring to a state. Whilst it must protect its huge horse racing industry, it must also find some middle ground between those who want land based casinos and those who wish to keep the best interests of horse racing at heart. Until then Kentuckians must play casino games online, which is a fantastic option to have!
