Kentucky lawmakers overrode Gov. Andy Beshear's veto of HB 904 on April 14, pushing a wide-ranging gambling bill into law. The measure raises the legal sports betting age to 21, authorizes fixed-odds wagering on horse racing, adds new rules for fantasy contests, and places limits on certain ties to prediction-market platforms.
What HB 904 Changes
The most immediate change for bettors is the age increase. The age requirement to take part in Kentucky sports betting moves from 18 to 21 under HB 904.
The bill also narrows a specific slice of college player props. It does not ban all college player props. Instead, it bars sports betting apps and sites from offering wagers on individual performance stats for athletes on Kentucky-based college teams when the bet wins only if the player falls short of a stat line or has another negative outcome. In plain English: the law targets negative-outcome player props on in-state college teams.
HB 904 also legalizes fixed-odds wagering on horse racing. The bill says a track or association licensed under Kentucky law may conduct fixed-odds wagering on horse racing with a supplemental fixed-odds license from the regulator.
Beyond sports betting and racing, the law creates a formal framework for fantasy contests and adds restrictions tied to prediction markets. The enacted text says tracks, sports wagering licensees, and fantasy licensees cannot participate in or contract with platforms offering event contracts through a prediction market in Kentucky, and it also restricts relationships with service providers tied to those platforms.
Why Beshear Vetoed it
Beshear's objection was not centered on the gambling provisions themselves. The flashpoint was language exempting the Kentucky Lottery Corporation and the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation from needing the Governor's signature to promulgate administrative regulations.
How the Override Played Out
HB 904 first passed the Senate 24-13 and the House 64-19 on April 1. Beshear vetoed the bill on April 13. Lawmakers returned the next day and overrode the veto by 67-7 in the House and 26-5 in the Senate.
That means HB 904 is no longer just a debated reform package. It is now law.
