Circa Sports is opening a temporary retail sportsbook in Kentucky ahead of the NFL season

Last week, Kentucky announced its plan to add Circa Sports to its betting market. They are set to open temporary retail sportsbooks on August 12 at the Mint Gaming Hall Kentucky Downs. A press release by Circa Sports noted that their sportsbook will open just in time for college football and the NFL season. Their temporary sportsbook is set to feature multiple betting windows and KY sports betting kiosks. Circa said they have a larger and more permanent addition coming to their NFL sportsbook in the summer of 2025. Mint Hall marketing director John Wholihan had this to say.

“Having the agreement with Circa and getting the regulators involved, everything started a few months back,” said Wolihan. “It got done on time, and that’s not a guarantee for every property to have their brick-and-mortar running before football season. We were able to, and it works out for everyone.”

What profit did Kentucky sportsbooks see early on?

Sports betting in Tennessee is strictly online and no in-person casino gambling exists. That is why the Mint Gaming Hall in Franklin, Kentucky is the closest in-person sportsbook to Nashville. Accordingly, Kentucky has seen success from Tennessee sports bettors who want to place live in-person wagers, not over their phone. Circa Sportsbook in Kentucky wants to offer a more traditional sports betting feel for its customers. In Kentucky, there will be horse racing and NFL action happening at the same time. Kentucky Downs hosts a small thoroughbred racing season that lasts just one week. That happens to coincide with Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. Thursday, September 5, and Sunday, September 8 there will be NFL games and horse racing for Kentucky sports fans to wager on.

Roughly a year ago. In-person Kentucky sportsbooks launched. A few weeks later, the Kentucky sports betting apps followed. Through June 2024, Kentucky’s sports betting handle reached nearly $2.11 billion. Seventy-nine million of that $2.11 billion came from in-person betting. Retail sportsbook operations like Red Mile Gaming and Racing in Lexington benefitted from the go-live date last NFL season. Now, Circa Sportsbook will be headed into its second season of offering betting lines and accepting wagers on the NFL.