Enjoy a Real Casino Experience at Home. Huge Variety of Free Casino Games. Are You a Fan of Online Casino?Join & Play Free Slots, Roulette & Blackjack. Tropicana Evansville offers comfortable hotel rooms on the Ohio river and the hottest table-games, slots and video-gaming in Indiana on their casino floor. Caesars Rewards Local Caesars Entertainment and Eldorado Resorts have come together to create new experiences for you. Jackpots are closer than you think! Visit Kentucky Downs Gaming, just 30 minutes north of Nashville, for exciting gaming action, dining, drinks and more. Kentucky has 11 casinos in which you'll find more than 4,412 slots and gaming machines. Click a casino on the left for more information on a particular property. If you wish to stay at some nice casino hotels in Kentucky, visit the Kentucky casino hotels page. We actually have 0 Kentucky hotels you can book directly from World Casino Directory.

Introduction to Kentucky Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020

Kentucky slot machine casino gambling does not include games of chance, which are strictly illegal. Instead, Kentucky has competition-based electronic gaming machines at four out of its five pari-mutuel wagering racetracks.

Theoretical payout limits are not available but monthly return statistics are available for electronic gaming machines.

This post continues my weekly State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambler to success. Now in its third year, each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or federal district.

Keep Reading … or Watch Instead!

Or … Listen Instead!

Subscribe to my Professor Slots podcast at Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music Amazon Audible Gaana Stitcher Pandora iHeart Radio Tune-In SoundCloud RadioPublic Deezer RSS and everywhere else you find your podcasts!

Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Kentucky*

The minimum legal gambling age in Kentucky depends upon the gambling activity:

• Land-Based Casinos: Not available
• Poker Rooms: Not available
• Bingo: 18
• Lottery: 18
• Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18

Kentucky’s interpretation of legal gambling requires the competitor’s level of skill “must sufficiently govern the results.”

Therefore, competition-based games are legal as well as pari-mutuel wagering. Traditional slots are illegal, including those referred to as Class III, Vegas-style, and games-of-chance slot machines.

Kentucky has competition-based electronic games available in a few of their pari-mutuel facilities. These skill-based games are anonymously-based historical race results.

Historically, Kentucky has had a fascinating relationship with gambling. While casino gambling was never legal, gambling dens were prevalent before the Great Depression of 1929. To this day, the open display of illegal gambling from that time in American history continues to negatively affect the perception of gaming in Kentucky.

If you’re ever in Newport, directly across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, consider walking the Newport Gangster Tour.

*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws might apply to various forms of gaming. It is not legal advice.

Slot Machine Private Ownership in Kentucky

In Kentucky, it is legal to own a slot machine privately.

Gaming Control Board in Kentucky

Gambling Casinos Near Owensboro Kentucky Menu

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) regulates skill-based games at pari-mutual racetracks in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

These devices are Historic Horse Racing (HHR) electronic gaming machines. The KHRC reports Kentucky offers 2,981 HHR machines.

Casinos in Kentucky

There are five pari-mutuel racetracks in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Of these, only four sites offer skill-based HHR electronic gaming machines.

The largest casino in Kentucky is Derby City Gaming with 1,000 HHR gaming machines.

The second-largest casino is Red Mile Gaming & Racing, an HHR parlor in partnership with Keeneland Race Course, with 938 gaming machines.

Commercial Casinos in Kentucky

The four out of five of Kentucky’s pari-mutuel racetracks with skill-based HHR electronic gaming machines are:

1. Derby City Gaming in Louisville located 74 miles west of Lexington on the Indiana border.
2. Ellis Park Racing and Gaming in Henderson located 105 miles northwest of Bowling Green.
3. Kentucky Downs Gaming in Franklin located 29 miles south of Bowling Green.
4. Red Mile Gaming & Racing in Lexington.

Tribal Casinos in Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky has no federally-recognized American Indian tribes and, therefore, no tribal casinos.

Other Gambling Establishments

As an alternative to enjoying Kentucky slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering Kentucky is:

1. North: Indiana and Ohio Slots
2. East: West Virginia Slots
3. Southeast: Virginia Slots
4. South: Tennessee Slots
5. West: Missouri Slots

Each link above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to Kentucky.

Our Kentucky Slots Facebook Group

Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Kentucky? If so, join our new Kentucky slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to join this closed Facebook Group freely.

There, you’ll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in Kentucky. Join us!

Payout Returns in Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky does not offer any theoretical payout limits for their competition-based HHR gaming machines.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission offers statistics for HHR gaming under Quick Links entitled Wagering on Historical Horse Races. Its December 2019 report indirectly offers actual return statistics including comparisons to past actuals.

To calculate a player’s win percentage from the report, divide Less: Return to Public by Total Handle. For December 2019, the monthly Player’s Win% for HHR machines were:

• State-wide: 91.5%
• Derby City: 90.9%
• Ellis Park: 93.9%
• Keeneland/Red Mile: 91.3%
• Kentucky Downs: 92.0%

From this December 2019 report, Ellis Park had the highest player win% at nearly 94% while Derby City had the lowest at nearly 91%.

Summary of Kentucky Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020

Kentucky slot machine casino gambling exists as competition-based, games-of-skill Historical Horse Racing (HHR) electronic gaming machines instead of games-of-chance slot machines.

No minimum or maximum theoretical payout limits have been set. Monthly return statistics are publicly available for each pari-mutuel racetrack with HHR games.

Annual Progress in Kentucky Slot Machine Casino Gambling

In the last year, Kentucky increased its HHR machines by 9% to 2,981 devices. However, the average daily handle for HHRs increased by 46%. For 2020 so far, it’s an amazing 59% increase compared to 2019.

Other State-By-State Articles from Professor Slots

• Previous: Kansas Slot Machine Casino Gambling
• Next: Louisiana Slot Machine Casino Gambling

Have fun, be safe, and make good choices!
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC

How to use our map of casinos in Kentucky

You can easily see all casino locations by using our Kentucky casinos map.

Kentucky Casinos Map Key:

Gambling Casinos Near Owensboro Kentucky Hotels

Red Icon: Casino location

Green Number: Cluster of Casinos in close proximity to each other (clicking the green icon will zoom in the map)

Zoom features: In the upper left corner of the map is a (+/-) symbol

• + (Plus)- Zoom In
• – (Minus)- Zoom Out

Layer features: In the upper right corner of the map is a ( /// ) symbol. Click on it to show the following display options:

• Roadmap: The map will feature all roads and streets.
• Hybrid: The map will feature all roads and streets on an overhead satellite image.
• Satellite: The map will feature an overhead satellite image.
• Terrain: The map will feature all roads and streets on a topographic image.

To scroll the map of casinos in Kentucky, move your mouse icon over the map. The icon will then appear as a hand. Click and hold the left mouse button and the hand will “grab” the map. While the button is depressed (the hand will be closed) drag the map in any direction you would like the map to move.

The red icons on the map represent a casino location. Click on any red icon on the map to see the name of the casino at that location. If you would like more information, click on the casino’s name in blue and it will forward you to a new page with detailed information on that casino including: address, phone number, website, toll-free phone number, room rates, casino size, games offered, dining information, any special features, and availability of discounts for seniors.

Casinos in Kentucky

Gambling Casinos Near Owensboro Kentucky Map

Kentucky, known as the “Bluegrass state,” does not have any traditional casinos. The most common form of gambling found in Kentucky is pari-mutuel betting on thoroughbred horse racing, which can be found at the 10 racetracks located through out the state.

Kentucky casinos that offer “instant racing machines” are the only type of gambling allowed in the state. These machines look like slots, but in reality you are betting on past horse races and the reels are for “entertainment purposes” only. There are no table games offered at any of the casinos in Kentucky. The minimum gambling age at all Kentucky casinos is 21 years old.

Gambling Casinos Near Owensboro Kentucky Motels

Want to See an Alphabetical List of All Casinos in Kentucky?

Check out our Kentucky casinos page to see an alphabetical list of every casino in that state.