Closest Casino To Kentucky State Fair

New Hours

For those who love casino camping, this is the best place to stay in close distance to the Kentucky Derby. This casino is very modern and filled with activities and very nice, updated facilities, making up for the fact that RV camping is just pavement parking with no hookups. The on-site steakhouse is very highly-rated, and the nightlife is plenty. The Fair brings the fun with new entertainment venues and experiences like Bluegrass Village and AgLand. Also posing nine stages, over 8 tents filled with food and tunes and more than 100 shows for every age, including the Texas Roadhouse Concert Series. Check out the events held at the Kentucky Exposition Center, including the Kentucky State Fair, catch a comedy show at Louisville Improv, and take your family to Louisville Zoo. Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino is nearby, as well as the University of Louisville.

Q. What are the new hours for Miami Valley Gaming?

A. The Governor's Curfew Directive starts today at 10pm. MVG will be open 6am - 10pm daily starting Friday November 20th. Please follow us on social media for any updates or changes.

The Gift Shop and Coat Check are open

Hours: 11AM to 8PM Sunday through Thursday and 11AM to 10PM Friday & Saturday.

Valet parking is still closed at this time.

Health & Safety

Q. Do I have to wear a mask to enter Miami Valley Gaming?

A. Yes, all guests wishing to enter Miami Valley Gaming must wear a mask. These facial coverings must snuggly fit over your chin, mouth and nose. If you do not have a mask, our friendly MVG team members will give you one.

Please wear your mask at all times. If you are smoking, drinking or eating, please re-apply your mask immediately after you’ve completed one of those activities.

Q. What safety changes have you made to help lessen the spread of COVID-19?

A. There are thermal scanners at the entrance for a quick, easy temperature check. If your temperature is not below 100.4 degrees MVG will provide a “cooling off” area right inside the front entrance.

Many of your favorite games are available, however, we have temporarily placed nearly half of the machines out of order to create the necessary social distancing. Social Distance floor stickers have been added in areas where guests queue. CDC and Responsible Restart Ohio signage is available for review on doors, walls, our website, stanchions, racing, cage, club and restrooms.

Every employee returning to work received enhanced COVID-19 training. Every team member at MVG is part of (participates daily in) of our Enhanced Cleaning and Sanitizing Procedures Program.

State

We have over 50 hand sanitizer units located throughout the gaming floor and at all entrances and high-touch locations. Glass partitions have been added to the cage, bars, restaurants, player’s club, racing desk and other employee areas to protect people.

Appropriate masks are required for all MVG team members and as well the patrons. These masks must fully cover your mouth, nose and chin. All team members are temperature checked prior to work and we’ll ask that patrons do not enter the facility if they are experiencing any of the COVID-19 symptoms.

Finally, we will continue to monitor and respond to CDC and local health guidelines to protect our team members and the public. Our goal is to lessen the spread of COVID-19. #WeAreAllInThisTogether

Q: Where can I vape?

A: All guests wishing to vape must go to either the north or south smoking patios

Q: Will wheelchairs and/or mobility scooters be available?

A: At this time wheelchairs and mobility scooters will not be available.

MVG Club/Promotional Offers

Q: What will happen to my Miami Valley Gaming, Most Valuable Gamer Club Tier Status Points for July 2020?

A: Everyone will maintain the same Tier Status they enjoyed through March 13th, 2020 until the end of the 2020. We will postpone Tier downgrades until January 1, 2021. Upgrades however will be awarded from now until the end of 2020 as you achieve the higher point levels.

Q: What will happen to my Miami Valley Gaming, Most Valuable Gamer Club Tier Status Points for January 2021?

A: All Most Valuable Gamer Club Tier Status Points from Jan 1st 2020 through December 31st 2020 will be used to calculate the January 2021 Club status. We are excited to offer extra tier point accruals to our usual 6 month earning (Jan 1st 2020 – June 30th 2020 + July 1st 2020 – December 31st 2020). Upgrades will happen as you earn enough points from now until the end of 2020

Q: Will my VLT Points or Comp Dollars expire?

A: VLT Points and Comp dollars will stay active until December 31st, 2020. However at the end of the 2020 any guest without play from January 1st 2020 to December 31st, 2020 will have their VLT Points and Comp Dollars expired. Visit the players club for assistance.

Q: How can I find out about upcoming Miami Valley Gaming promotions and offers?

A: Please stop by Player Services to make sure we have your most up to date email on file. Continue to watch your mailbox and email inbox for exciting promotions and offers from MVG. Follow us on Facebook for chances to win great prizes as well!

Thank you for your patience as we work through this process together.

#WeAreAllInThisTogether

  • Horseracing (1783), Lottery (1988), Historical Racing (2010)
  • unknown
  • unknown
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  • Kentucky does not have a smoking ban
  • Off-track betting

Kentucky is considered the home of horse racing in the U.S. The Kentucky Derby, one of the best-known horse races in the world, is hosted at Churchill Downs in the state. Kentucky was home to the first known horse race in the country in 1783. The state has always accepted that its residents and tourists visit Bluegrass Country to take in the races and wager a few dollars.

While gambling on horses has always been embraced, it has not been quick to expand into Kentucky casinos. There is a state lottery in Kentucky. Instant racing, which are slot machines that display winning symbols based on past races, started appearing at racetracks earlier this decade. Kentucky racetracks may also offer off-track betting. Charities can offer games of chance with limited prizes and a number of events.

Paying Gambling Taxes in Kentucky

Closest Casino To Kentucky State Fair

OnlineUnitedStatesCasinos has gathered everything you need to know about paying taxes on your gambling winnings straight from a Certified Public Accountant. Find out how you can report your gambling income to the IRS with our in-depth Gambling Taxes Guide. Learn which forms you have to fill out, how to report your winnings, as well as deduct losses.

Kentucky Casinos Map & Guide of Racetracks

  • Ellis Park – Henderson
  • Red Mile – Lexington
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Types of Kentucky Online Gambling

The only form of legal Kentucky online gambling is off-track betting on horses. These wagers may be placed on websites and apps belonging to companies like TVG, Twinspires, and BetAmerica. TwinSpires is based in Kentucky. It is owned by Churchill Downs.

Indiana State Fair

Daily fantasy sites claim legality under Kentucky’s skill gaming laws. While the state attorney general and its legislature have not addressed daily fantasy sports, some sour gamblers have filed lawsuits against the companies in an attempt to recover losses through qui tam laws. These cases are still in the court system.

Online poker, casino, and sports betting sites are not legal in Kentucky. The state has filed its own qui tam lawsuits to recover losses for the state’s residents. One judgment against PokerStars compelled the site to pay Kentucky $870 million. That case is under appeal. The state also filed a lawsuit in an attempt to seize 141 domain names from gambling sites.

Types of Live Kentucky Gambling

  • Slots: No
  • Blackjack: No
  • Poker: No
  • Craps/Roulette: No
  • Horses: Yes
  • Lottery: Yes

There are three types of live Kentucky gambling available to residents. A state lottery sells scratch-off and lotto tickets. This includes interstate drawings. Popular games include Lucky for Life, Pick 3, Pick 4, 5 Card Cash, Powerball, and Mega Millions.

There are six Kentucky racetracks. All offer horse tracks. Greyhound racing is not legal in Kentucky. All six tracks offer off-track betting on horses.

Kentucky Downs, Ellis Park, and Red Mile offer a controversial form of gambling that is working its way through the court system. These two tracks offer instant racing machines. These devices are programmed with thousands of past horse races. Players put cash into the machine and make a wager. The machine pulls one of these historical races and displays the reels on the device to match a payout similar to what the event would have paid. These are described as historical racing machines. Some consider them to be slot machines because that is exactly how they look and feel. The only difference is how the position of the reels is determined.

There are currently no Kentucky casinos operating at the moment. There is legislation that racetracks are trying to pass so that they can legally offer more popular electronic casino games, like electronic blackjack and roulette. We may see the racetracks and Kentucky casinos legislation combine and form “racinos” that are already popular in other states.

Kentucky Gambling Laws

Kentucky gambling laws define gambling as,

“staking or risking something of value on the outcome of a contest, game, gaming scheme, or gaming device which is based upon an element of chance, in accord with an agreement or understanding that someone will receive something of value in the event of a certain outcome.”

It only exempts the state lottery, horse racing, and arguably, instant racing machines. Charities may operate bingo games and raffles.

Promoting gambling is a Class A misdemeanor or Class D felony, depending on the charges. The minimum gambling age in Kentucky is 18 years for lottery, racing, and instant racing bettors.

Where to Gamble in Kentucky

There are more than 1,000 lottery retailers in Kentucky. There are also dozens of charitable organizations that offer bingo and similar games to raise funds for nonprofit operations.

Outside of these options, there are only six Kentucky racetracks to gamble at. You might consider these racetracks to be Kentucky casinos, as they already have permission to offer racing machines, which are very similar to slot machines. This may be the start of new Kentucky gambling legislation.

You can look for the specific racetrack you want to wager at on our Kentucky casinos map and guide located above.

RacetrackSizeAddressWebsite
Churchill Downs – LouisvilleNo Instant Racing®700 Central Ave.www.churchilldowns.com
Ellis Park Race Course – Henderson170 Instant Racing® Machines3300 US-41www.ellisparkracing.com
Keeneland – LexingtonNo Instant Racing®4201 Versailles Rd.www.keeneland.com
Kentucky Downs – Franklin500 Instant Racing® Machines5629 Nashville Rd.www.kentuckydowns.com
The Red Mile – Lexington900 Instant Racing® Machines1200 Red Mile Rd.www.redmileky.com
Turfway Park – FlorenceNo Instant Racing®7500 Turfway Rd.www.turfway.com

History of Kentucky Gambling

Horse racing dates back to 1783 in Kentucky. That is nine years before it became a state. The first organized racing venue was created in Louisville. It was called Elm Tree Gardens. Racing spread to Lexington in 1787 where horses competed in The Commons. Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, opened in 1883.

Kentucky did not regulate horse racing like it does today in its early years. It was simply impossible to control pari-mutuel pools and organize the tracks and horses centuries ago. It took until the early 1900’s for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to be created. Tracks have come and gone over the years. There are five in operation today. This makes Kentucky one of the most thriving states when it comes to horseracing.

Kentucky

The first legal lottery in Kentucky was held in 1792. It occurred in an attempt to fundraise for a church in Lexington. The Kentucky Lottery that exists today was created through a November 1988 constitutional referendum. The first ticket was sold in April 1989. The Kentucky Lottery sells scratch-off and lotto tickets.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission modified its regulations to permit instant racing machines in 2010. These games mimic slot machines. The devices display slot symbols in a pattern to show the payout of a horse race based in the past. The exact race is never known. The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that the racing commission had the authority to legalize these games. Anti-gambling groups are still fighting instant racing in the courts. Kentucky Downs, Ellis Park, and Red Mile offer instant racing, and can be considered to be the only Kentucky casinos operating today.

Kentucky has been the home of two disputes with offshore online gambling sites. In 2008, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear’s office initiated a lawsuit in an attempt to seize 141 domain names related to gambling. Major sites were included in the list. Big names like PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker, DoylesRoom and Cake Poker were among them. The case dragged out until 2014 when a state appeals court essentially quashed it. This case was the beginning of offshore gaming sites moving to domains that do not use the .com extension. Kentucky received a small settlement related to Black Friday due to this case before it ultimately failed.

PokerStars Debacle

Kentucky is also the venue where PokerStars was sued for $290 million for accepting players in the state. Government officials alleged that PokerStars operated illegally and should be compelled to pay the state for its residents’ gambling losses under qui tam laws. The alleged events occurred from 2006 to 2011.

These loss recovery laws permit anybody to recover illegal gambling losses if the loser does not act within six months. A lower court awarded the $290 million as well as treble damages, making the total judgment $870 million. The case is currently under appeal

PokerStars was owned by Rational Group at the time the lawsuit is based. It has since been acquired by Amaya Gaming. The new owners of PokerStars have vowed to fight the case or pursue the former owners if it ultimately loses the legal battle.

Kentucky Casinos & Gambling FAQ

Yes. Kentucky is considered the home of the horse racing industry in the country.

Yes. There are six race books in Kentucky.

The only form of online betting legal in Kentucky is off-track horse racing.

No, only horse racing.

Is smoking permitted in Kentucky race books and instant racing casinos?

Are casinos legal in Kentucky?

No, the closest thing to casinos in the state is instant racing machines. There are casinos in West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.

The minimum Kentucky gambling age is 18 years for all legal forms of gambling, including lottery and racing bets.

Yes, the Kentucky Lottery sells scratch-off and lotto tickets.

Does the Kentucky Lottery sell tickets over the Internet?

Lottery sales are not permitted over the Internet.

Are online poker, casino or sports betting sites legal in Kentucky?

Closest Casino To Kentucky State Fair Louisville Ky

None of these types of websites are licensed to operate in Kentucky.

There is currently a court battle over alleged illegal online gambling where a lower court ruled PokerStars owes Kentucky $870 million. It is currently under appeal.