Circa Sportsbook Finally Launches in Kentucky

After months of planning, Circa Sports has finally launched its platform in the Bluegrass State.

Circa’s sportsbook went live in Kentucky on Tuesday. The high-end online platform has found a strong niche in the industry. While it lacks promotions, it has high limits for bettors, allowing for massive wagers and winnings. That has appealed to high-rollers, leading to solid revenue numbers for Circa despite a smaller user base. 

“We are thrilled to launch Circa Sports in the great state of Kentucky,” said Circa Sports CEO Derek Stevens in a press release. “We’ve always had our sights set here as we know it is a major hub for college sports, horse racing, and more. We are looking forward to providing Kentucky bettors with some of the best odds and expertise out there.”

The addition of Circa gives Kentucky eight live online sportsbooks. The new sportsbook is partnered with the Cumberland Run horse track, which allows it to operate in the state.

Circa Sports is now available in five states: Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, and Nevada.

FanDuel and DraftKings Lead the Way in Kentucky

Kentucky’s sports betting market launched in September 2023 and has started strong. Since then, it has had a handle of over $200 million each month, leading to $3,037,957 in tax revenue. 

Industry giants DraftKings and FanDuel have extended their dominance into the Kentucky market. DraftKings leads with a handle of over $499 million, but FanDuel edged them out in revenue with $62.8 million.

The most surprising result from the first few months comes from bet365 Sportsbook. The European sportsbook has slowly grown in the US but has succeeded in Kentucky. They finished third in revenue at $15.4 million, roughly the same as BetMGM and Caesars combined.

Bet365’s success in Kentucky is terrible news for ESPN Bet. They had hoped to compete with the likes of BetMGM and Caesars for market share, but bettors seem to be choosing bet365 instead.