Geolocation data suggests the launch of online sports betting sites in the Bluegrass State prompted a flurry of activity by Kentuckians enjoying their first legal taste of mobile wagering.
Vancouver-based GeoComply Solutions Inc. reported Friday that there were 2.020 million geolocation checks on Thursday, the first day of online sports betting in Kentucky.
GeoComply added that the checks, which happen at various times when a person uses a sportsbook app, such as logging in, came from nearly 200,000 accounts yesterday.
Since Kentucky's launch, our team has been collecting geolocation transaction data for GeoComply sportsbook customers in the state. In the first 24 hours, we recorded just over 2 million geolocation checks from nearly 200,000 accounts. pic.twitter.com/vPjscr77cR
— GeoComply (@GeoComply) September 29, 2023
Before the mobile wagering launch, the governor’s office said more than 60,000 accounts were pre-registered with the state’s seven online sportsbooks, which indicates plenty of sign-ups on day one.
“For comparison, this was nearly double the amount of transactions and accounts from Louisiana, a similarly sized state during this same 24-hour period,” a GeoComply spokesperson told Covers via email.
Mobile mania
The early figures suggest plenty of interest in online wagering in Kentucky, where legal sports betting began earlier this month at brick-and-mortar racing and gaming facilities. The state has yet to reach its full allotment of online sportsbooks, as 21 other licenses remain available for mobile operators.
Kentucky’s mobile launch is also important because that is where the bulk of wagering will happen and where the lion’s share of revenue for operators and the state will come.
The governor’s office is floating the figure of around $23 million a year in tax revenue from sports betting when it is fully implemented, most of which would help fund the state’s pensions.
"Sports wagering has already been a big hit in the commonwealth, with more than $4.5 million already bet, and that means that those dollars stay here in Kentucky," Gov. Andy Beshear said in a video on social media on Thursday. "Everybody enjoy, do it responsibly, but know that this is a win-win for Team Kentucky, as these dollars will help our people."
