Kentucky officials report $1.48 million in problem-gambling grants as sports betting generates millions

FRANKFORT — State officials told the Budget Subcommittee on Economic Development, Protection, Tourism and Energy that legalized sports wagering has generated billions in wagers and deposited millions into state accounts while the newly created problem-gambling assistance fund has begun awarding grants to build treatment capacity and run targeted education campaigns.

The briefing matters because lawmakers have directed a portion of sports-wagering revenue to help people affected by gambling; the committee sought an update on how much money the state has collected, how the problem-gambling funds are being used and whether the money is reaching people in treatment.

Representatives of the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation and the state Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities gave the update. Hannah Sims, director for sports wagering at the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation, said sports wagering deposited $34,840,000 into the state pension fund and about $9,931,000 into the problem-gambling assistance fund in fiscal 2024, the first roughly 10 months of legal operations. Sims told the committee that fiscal 2025 to date adds about $18,500,000 to the pension fund and $556,000 to the problem-gambling assistance fund, bringing the lifetime totals reported in the presentation to “over $53.34 [million]…