Gaming in Kentucky: rise in helpline calls
The Kentucky Council for Problem Gambling has reported an increase in calls to its helpline.
US.- The Kentucky Council for Problem Gambling has reported an increase in calls to its helpline. The hotline received more than 2,300 calls from January to September.
The peak month was March, with 470 calls. February followed with 340. For August, the figure was just 203, but that’s an increase from 88 in August 2023. Some 348 callers this year said sports betting was their most problematic form of gambling.
Michael Stone, executive director at the Kentucky Council for Problem Gambling, suggested that the number of people suffering from gambling-related issues had not increased but that people were more aware of the issue.
The state’s regulated sports wagering market launched in September 2023, and players spent $2.39bn betting on sports in the state’s first year of regulation. Adjusted gross revenue reached $272m, according to data from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC).
Players bet $2.3bn online and $87.1m at retail sportsbooks. Online betting generated $264.3m in adjusted gross revenue and retail wagering $7.8m. Kentucky collected $37.7m in tax from online sports wagering and $756,517 from retail betting.
