Kentucky has sent House Bill 904 to Gov. Andy Beshear after both chambers passed the measure and legislative leaders enrolled it on April 2. The bill is a wide gambling rewrite that raises the legal age for sports betting to 21, changes fantasy contest rules, adds fixed-odds horse wagering provisions, and touches prediction markets as well.
The prediction market piece stayed in the bill, but in a narrower form than some of the earlier language floating through the House. Kentucky’s updated bill summary ties parts of the contracting restriction to platforms offering event contracts “in the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” rather than setting out a straight national ban for licensed sportsbook and fantasy operators.
The bill kept growing as it moved through the Capitol
HB 904 started as a large gaming bill and stayed that way. The House passed it 79-15 on March 19. The Senate then passed its committee substitute 24-13 on April 1, and the House concurred 64-19 later the same day. By April 2, it had been signed by both chambers and delivered to the governor.
The final package still contains a long list of changes. It raises the sports betting age, bars certain negative proposition bets on Kentucky college athletes, adds new fantasy licensing fees, and builds in child-support screening for online gaming accounts.
Prediction markets were narrowed, not thrown out
One of the key fights inside the bill was how far Kentucky should go against prediction markets. Earlier House language pushed harder, but the revised summary now points to a Kentucky-focused approach, including contracting limits tied to event contracts operating in the state and a July 1, 2027 date attached to some of those restrictions. It also says the corporation or Department of Revenue may regulate prediction market conduct in Kentucky in line with federal law.
That leaves Kentucky in an in-between position. Lawmakers did not walk away from prediction markets, but they also did not adopt the broadest version of the crackdown. The bill still gives the state more leverage over the issue, just on narrower terms than some early drafts suggested.
