LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) -- — For the first time, Kentuckians were able to legally bet on the Super Bowl on Sunday.
People from across Central Kentucky lined up at Red Mile Sunday afternoon to wager on the outcome of the big game.
For many, like Diana Lemay, it was their first time ever placing an official bet.
"Usually, you know, I'm at a friend's house with the little side pots, putting money in a hat or something," Lemay said of her usual Super Bowl Sundays.
Red Mile management expected Sunday to be a busy one, and a night they've been anticipating for months.
"It’s finally here, it’s been great to see because we opened on opening day of the NFL season, that’s actually when sports wagering became legal in the state," said Gabe Prewitt, vice president of racing and sports wagering operations at Red Mile. "So we got to see the entire season through and it all build up to tonight."
Within the first two months of sports betting becoming legal in the Commonwealth, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission found people wagered more than $340 million.
"With sports betting, especially with sports betting being legal now, this gives them a chance to be further engaged in the game and actually have some type of rooting interest in the game, even if they're not a fan of the Chiefs or Niners," Steve Bittendbender, a writer and analyst for BetKentucky.com, told LEX 18 earlier this week.
According to Bittendbender, online gaming research firm Eilers and Krejcik predicted Kentuckians would wager more than $38 million on the game.
There are still limits on what people are able to bet on. Bets must be limited to player performance or the outcome of the game.
According to Prewitt, that still left Red Mile guests with over 2,000 options to wager on.
