As the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers compete in this year's Super Bowl, Kentuckians can legally put money on the outcome for the very first time.
"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," said Steve Bittendbender, a writer and analyst for BetKentucky.com.
Bittenbender said online gaming research firm Eilers and Krejcik predicts Kentuckians will wager more than $38 million on the game.
"That's comparable to what they're expecting for larger states like Massachusetts and Michigan and even more than what Tennessee may wager on," he said.
Bittenbender suspects there will be a lot of people who try it out for the very first time this weekend.
"People who may have done an office pool or jackpot squares, they may kick the tires and look to see what sportsbooks have to offer," he said.
Bittenbender said legal betting here in Kentucky is limited to the performance of the players and the outcome of the game. You can't legally bet on commercials or whether a particular player and pop star might get engaged on the field.
"If you're looking to do bets like that, keep it within your Super Bowl party. Bet with your girlfriend, bet with your friends that are at the party. Don't look to do that online," he said.
According to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, which oversees sports wagering in Kentucky, Kentuckians wagered more than $340,000,000 on sports in the first two months of sports betting. 95% of that wagering was done online. The commission has not released statistics for November, December, or January.
