Offtrack betting facility to open near Churchill Downs

FLORENCE, Ky. – The owners of a building in downtown Louisville who have ties to previous offtrack betting locations in Kentucky have received approval to open a simulcasting parlor at the property as an adjunct of Churchill Downs.

The approval was granted Tuesday at a regular meeting of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. The operation is being run by a group called the Louisville Thoroughbred Society, which includes as founding members Gene McLean, the first president of Kentucky OTB, which ran bricks-and-mortar simulcasting sites in Kentucky prior to the rapid advancement of account-wagering.

The Louisville Thoroughbred Society is anticipated to be a members-only organization. According to the organization, the space in downtown Louisville will eventually include a cigar bar, concierge services, and seminars on handicapping and “industry topics,” along with gambling on Thoroughbred simulcasts. The building is approximately 3.7 miles from Churchill Downs.

Mike Ziegler, the executive vice president of racing at Churchill Downs, told the KHRC that the facility will include 12 self-service betting terminals. Ziegler compared the operation to the Thoroughbred Club of America, which operates a detached upscale betting parlor on the grounds of Keeneland, past the far turn, as a members-only club.