LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentuckians are spending big on both sports betting and slot-style historical horse racing machines, to the tune of several billion dollars. Leaders from the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation provided an update to lawmakers Thursday on just how prevalent these programs have become, and how the state is using the tax dollars they bring in.

Since becoming legal two years ago, Kentuckians have wagered closed to five billion dollars on sports betting, according to the KHRC. Nearly all of it is done on phone apps like DraftKings or FanDuel. The state’s public pension fund received $73 million of that, and $2 million was given to problem gambling aid.

“In July alone, sports wagering excise tax collections grew 14% year over year,” said Hannah Simms, director of spo

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