The Executive Director of the Ohio Casino Control Commission, Matt Schuler, said Kentucky made “a fundamental mistake” by legalizing sports betting for people aged 18 and older. The regulator described the possibility for Ohio individuals under 21 to go across the border, open an account in Kentucky and bet as “horrible.”
Kentucky legalized sports betting on March 31, when Governor Andy Beshear signed House Bill 552 into law. No launch date has been set for the industry because the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission is still developing rules. Of the 37 states that legalized sports betting so far, Kentucky is among five that allow 18-year-olds to bet, according to the American Gaming Association.
“It’s consistent with all of our other gaming laws in Kentucky,” said Rep. Michael Meredith, R-Brownsville, sponsor of the sports betting bill, as reported by the WCPO 9 News. “You can bet at a horse track in Kentucky when you’re 18. You can go to an HHR facility at 18 by statute. Now, several of our HHR facilities have self-regulated to 21, but the statute says 18. And then, you can buy lottery tickets in Kentucky at 18 too. So, it’s consistent with all of our other wagering laws.”
Rep. Michael Meredith
Ohio also allows 18-year-olds to bet on lottery games and horse races. But casinos and sportsbooks are prohibited from taking bets from and marketing to anyone under the age of 21.
“The age group that is most at risk of developing a gambling problem are males 18 to 35,” Schuler said. “The younger ones are most vulnerable as they’re not at the age yet where they can thoroughly process the consequences of their actions. Not my opinion. Scientific fact.”
Schuler said Ohio should consider banning all forms of betting by people under 21. But he argues the problem is most acute for sports betting. “The target audience for sports gaming are males, theoretically 21 to 35, but I suppose in Kentucky, 18 to 35. So, you have this convergence of the target audience is the most at risk,” he commented, according to the above-mentioned media.
Meanwhile, Joe Cobbs, who chairs the sports business and event management department at NKU’s Haile College of Business, said he didn’t think it is the best policy to allow bets at 18. He expects bigger sportsbooks to steer clear of younger bettors in Kentucky because most states, including Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee, prohibit under-21 bets. But he’s sure “there’ll be some of the medium-sized ones or ones that are trying to break into the market” that will take bets from 18-20-year-old customers.
As for the sportsbooks, Caesars International has “determined that 21 is the age allowed at our brick-and-mortar facility,” as noted by Jim Goodman, the Director of Wagering Development at Keeneland Association Inc. Meanwhile, BetMGM said it has “a strict 21+ betting policy in all states in which we currently operate” but didn’t say whether that will be the policy in Kentucky.
Furthermore, Churchill Downs Inc.‘s HHR facilities, including Turfway Park and Newport Racing and Gaming, prohibit patrons from entering unless they’re 21 or older.
“I do hope that the licensed sportsbooks choose to offer it to only those 21 and older as a matter of responsibility,” Schuler concluded. “They’re going to have a problem on their hands if they don’t do something on the front end for responsible gambling prevention and be prepared for treatment.”
