Kentucky HB 904 Clears Final Hurdle After Chaotic Senate Night

Kentucky lawmakers sent HB 904 to Governor Andy Beshear after a messy final day at the Capitol. The bill bundles together sports betting changes, fantasy sports rules, fixed-odds horse racing, and new limits tied to prediction markets.

Good to Know

• HB 904 passed the Senate twice in one night after a procedural error
• The bill raises the sports betting account age from 18 to 21
• New prediction market language became the biggest flashpoint

Prediction Market Language Drove The Final Fight

The biggest clash came over prediction markets. An earlier version would have blocked operators such as FanDuel, DraftKings, and Fanatics from the Kentucky sports betting market if they ran prediction market platforms anywhere in the country.

That proposal carried real weight. Those three operators hold Kentucky licenses and account for most of the state tax base tied to sports betting, which brings in more than $40 million a year.

Pressure built fast. FanDuel ran a pop-up inside its Kentucky app over the weekend warning users they could lose access. Protect Our Freedoms Kentucky also pushed an online tool that let users contact lawmakers and object to the bill.

By Wednesday morning, the language changed. The revised version no longer blocks licensed operators from Kentucky if they offer prediction markets elsewhere. Instead, it bars Kentucky licensed racetracks, sportsbooks, and fantasy sports operators from working with a service provider that offers prediction market event contracts inside Kentucky.

That narrower wording still left senators uneasy. Senate Minority Floor Leader Gerald Neal asked whether the service provider language could stop Churchill Downs from airing the Kentucky Derby across the country if a broadcast partner carried ads for Kalshi or Polymarket. Sen. Jason Howell first said yes, then backed away and said he did not know the details of Churchill contracts. That answer appears to have cost the bill support from some Louisville area senators.

Sen. Cassie Chambers-Armstrong said, “That’s a very big issue.”

Bill Covers Sports Betting Fantasy Sports And Horse Racing

HB 904 touches much of the Kentucky betting market. Reps. Michael Meredith and Matthew Koch sponsored the measure, which pulls together projects that had been taking shape for more than a year.

For sports betting, the bill raises the minimum age to open an account from 18 to 21. It also bans player prop bets on in-state college athletes. Alongside that, the bill sets up a regulatory structure for fantasy sports operators and adds fixed-odds horse racing wagering in Kentucky.

Meredith told Gambling Insider the two sponsors brought separate efforts together. Koch had been working on charitable gaming reform. Meredith had been building the fantasy sports side. Both tracks were eventually folded into one bill, then revised several times before lawmakers reached the final version.

The night also included one more twist. Senators realized after the first vote that they had attached an out-of-order floor amendment that would have barred licensed operators from taking credit card deposits. Because that amendment had been tied to the original House version rather than the committee substitute, it could not stand. Senators then voted again and stripped it out.

The Senate passed the bill at around 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday by a 24 to 13 vote. After the procedural issue surfaced, senators voted again and reached the same 24 to 13 result. About an hour later, the House agreed to the Senate changes by a 64 to 19 vote.

Timing mattered. Wednesday was the last day before lawmakers recessed for the veto period. Meredith said waiting until the final two session days on April 14 and 15 would have created risk. If Beshear vetoed the bill then, lawmakers would not have a chance to override. By sending HB 904 forward now, the Republican supermajority keeps that option alive.

The post Kentucky HB 904 Clears Final Hurdle After Chaotic Senate Night appeared first on iGaming.org.