Written by :
Published on :
Lawmakers in the Commonwealth of Kentucky are looking to raise the minimum age one can gamble from 18 to 21.
Kentucky is one of nine states that still permits those who turn 18 to gamble, whether in casinos or online.
HB 904 also aims to tighten regulation on sports betting, fantasy sports, and charitable gaming, including a ban on "prop bets" for Kentucky college athletes. The bill is sponsored by Republican Reps. Michael Meredith and Matthew Koch.
In terms of daily fantasy sports, the bill looks to place these platforms under the commonwealth's oversight. Lawmakers, in particular, feel Kentucky is missing out on taxing such businesses.
“Fantasy sports have been offered in Kentucky for a long time, but there’s never been a direct licensing statute or tax statute related to them,” Meredith said in a statement to The Lexington Times.
Kentucky is also moving in the direction of most other U.S. states that currently regulate sports betting by looking to ban performance props in college sports. College basketball is especially popular here with two successful programs: Louisville and Kentucky.
The NCAA has provided data showing 7% of Division I men’s athletes received threatening messages from bettors in a single year.
A study cited by the NCAA last year found 1 in 3 student-athletes received abusive messages from those with a betting interest; 80% of the abuse was directed at March Madness men's and women's student-athletes, with women's basketball student-athletes receiving approximately three times more threats than men's basketball student-athletes.
"The horrific messages we are seeing across online platforms is absolutely unacceptable," NCAA President Charlie Baker said. "Angry fans are sending numerous abusive messages and threats to student-athletes, publicly and privately, because of lost bets placed on the athlete's performance in a game. These actions severely threaten student-athlete mental health and well-being, while harming the college athletics environment. We need fans to do better. We need states to do better and ban player props that target student-athletes and enable detrimental abuse."
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
