New Kentucky Sportsbook Could Reshape Industry

Circa Sports has officially opened its Kentucky sportsbook at The Mint Gaming Hall in Kentucky Downs, and the unveiling could mark a real shift for the United States’ betting industry.

To be sure, sportsbook launches are not always critical benchmarks. That is especially true for brick-and-mortar locations. The majority of sports betting in the United States now takes place online. In fact, the overwhelming majority of legal wagers processed now run through a mobile operator.

This is no different when it comes to sports betting in Kentucky. A physical location at Kentucky Downs does have more appeal than other brick-and-mortar operations. It is located smack dab in the middle of a tourist draw after. But Kentucky sportsbooks online continue to reign supreme. Circa Sports’ new location is not going to change anything on that front.

Except, this occasion is not a hallmark moment for how Americans bet on sports. It speaks to a potential change in where they bet on sports—and who they use to do it.

New Kentucky Sportsbook is Intended to Make a Statement

First and foremost, we have the freshly opened Kentucky sportsbook itself. It is one of the largest facilities in the region. Consider this excerpt from an article over at The Press Box:

The 5,100-square foot sportsbook, part of The Mint’s 18,000-square foot expansion, is one of the largest east of the Mississippi. Circa Sports Kentucky features an 80-foot-wide LED screen, 31-foot-wide odds board, premium seating, a live VSiN broadcast studio and staffed betting counters and kiosks. A 112-foot ticker, with team logos, runs below the massive video boards that Circa helped design with DAK Electronics, the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of large-screen LED displays. ‘This transcends any experience today in Kentucky from a sports-betting perspective,’ Kentucky Downs managing partner Marc Falcone said. ‘We made a commitment to build a first-class facility here with Circa Sports. And after spending a lot of time with Derek and his facility in Las Vegas, we thought it was a good match not only for our mutual partnership but for them coming into the state of Kentucky.’”

Falcone’s final remark is the most important of all. Circa Sports Kentucky represents the company’s official foray into The Bluegrass State. More than that, it is an extension of Circa Sports’ recent expansion across the United States.

For so long, the company has remained associated with its Nevada sports betting offerings. They are now showing an interest in branching out to other states. Most recently, they shockingly won a bid to enter the Missouri sports betting mark, a victory that came at the expense of FanDuel.

Circa Sports is Undergoing an Ambitious Expansion

Circa Sports’ Kentucky sportsbook now gives them a presence in six states: Kentucky, Nevada, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, and as of December 2025, Missouri. The company has plans to extend its reach even further.

If their actions to date are any indication, they will continue pouncing at opportunities to set up shop in other states. The question is: Will this push be successful?

Securing a sports betting license is only half the battle. You have to build up a market share to stay solvent. This has proven difficult for new sportsbooks, or for sports betting operators looking to expand existing presences.

Circa Sports is not immune to those challenges. Even operating their online Kentucky sportsbook is proving to be an uphill battle. According to the latest Kentucky sports betting revenue reports, operators reported a $173.8 million total handle for the month of June. Online sportsbooks accounted for $171. 4 million of that money—or 98.6 percent.

Of that $171.4 million, FanDuel ($53.8 million) and DraftKings ($67.5 million) took in $121.3 million. That comes out to nearly 71 percent of Kentucky online sportsbooks’ entire handle. And it is not like Circa Sport soaked up the remaining $50.1 million in business. That volume is split up across multiple operators, including Caesars, BetMGM, bet365 and ESPN Bet.

So Much Changes Circa Sports Can Become a Primetime Kentucky Sportsbook

To Circa Sports’ credit, they are so far showing the stomach necessary to grind out the catch-up game. That is not true for every company.

Just look at Penn Entertainment, which operates ESPN Bet. They previously branded their sportsbook under the Barstool umbrella. They eventually needed to pivot after it never gained traction. Meanwhile, other national companies like Fanatics Sportsbook are also struggling to knife into the market share of more established entities. In most cases, this refers to near-total domination among FanDuel and DraftKings. But it holds firm even if operators aim for third and fourth place. Consumers gravitate towards more familiar names.

This is what Circa Sports’ and its new Kentucky sportsbook are up against. Of course, the uniqueness of the physical location can help spread the word about their online operations. Inserting themselves into as many markets as possible is also paramount to that exposure. That’s what makes their entry into the Missouri sports betting market, as one of two independent operators, so huge. It puts them in a real position to break the trend of domination being upheld by FanDuel and DraftKings.

Whether Circa Sports will be successful is a different story. This type of play takes time. Even then, it is not guaranteed to pan out. If it does, though, it will set a precedent for other companies outside the Big Two. That, in turn, can lead to a huge shift throughout the entire industry.

Take a look at this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can find one that works for all of your sports betting needs: