Comprehensive gaming bill wins final passage in general assembly
Sen. Jason Howell, R-Murray, speaks Wednesday on the Senate floor about gaming legislation, House Bill 904 A high-resolution photo can be found here.
FRANKFORT — Wagering in Kentucky has changed vastly over the years, and a comprehensive bill to address many facets of modern wagering won final passage Wednesday in the 2026 legislative session.
Rep. Michael Meredith, R-Oakland, and Rep. Matthew Koch, R-Paris, are sponsoring House Bill 904 and testified on the measure with Sen. Jason Howell, R-Murray, in the Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee Wednesday morning.
The bill cleared the House and Senate floors later in the day.
Meredith called the bill “a comprehensive piece of legislation dealing with nearly every area that is regulated by the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Commission to make sure that waging in Kentucky is safe and protected.”
Among the many provisions, HB 904 would increase the age to participate in sports wagering from 18 to 21 and prohibit anyone on the attorney general’s child support arrearage list from betting on online platforms.
The bill would also create a comprehensive licensing and regulatory framework around fantasy sports and forbid negative outcome bets – also known as “under” bets – on college athletes who play on in-state teams.
Another section would prevent fantasy operators or betting companies from contracting with a prediction market that operates in Kentucky.
HB 904 would also give racetracks the option to offer fixed-odds wagering to help address public perception around computer-assisted bets that change the odds suddenly before a race. Additionally, it would create a purse stabilization fund to ensure that any wagers from fixed odds still support the horse industry.
Other sections relate to tote system modernization, charitable middlemen restrictions, and charitable gaming governance, fees and caps.
On the Senate floor, Howell said a lot of lawmakers have reluctance about gambling, but “gambling is here.”
“We have two choices,” he said. “We can do nothing and let the proliferation of some of the problems we have go unchecked, or we could step up and do the best we can to protect people of Kentucky. I believe that’s what this bill does.”
Some critics in the Senate questioned if the bill would prohibit racetracks from contracting with certain service providers that advertise and if that would prevent Churchill Downs from broadcasting the Kentucky Derby on national television.
Senate Minority Whip Cassie Chambers Armstrong, D-Louisville, said she supports the provisions on charitable gaming and raising the gambling age. But she voted against the bill after citing concerns about the impact on Churchill Downs.
“That’s a very big issue, and I cannot in good conscience vote for this bill at this moment in time,” she said.
Sen. Donald Douglas, R-Nicholasville, said the bill includes good provisions along with less desirable aspects. But he voted for the bill and said he has confidence that his colleagues will iron out the issues.
“I really can’t find the avenue where this expands gambling that other people have found. I’m not defending the bill, but I am defending some of the protections that it will be bringing to our younger public. I don’t want to see our younger public get into gambling early as they can now, and we are supposed to be the adults in the room,” he said.
The bill cleared the Senate on a 24-13 vote and won final passage on the House floor 64-19. It now heads to the governor’s desk.
