What Derby City Gaming is, and what it is not
Many visitors assume the hall sits inside the Churchill Downs racetrack. Derby City Gaming is a standalone gaming facility on Louisville’s south side, operating under the racing license held by Churchill Downs and owned by the same company. There is no dirt oval, no grandstand and no live race day here, only machines, simulcast screens and sports betting kiosks.
That structure follows from Kentucky law, which allows historical horse racing machines only as pari-mutuel wagering linked to licensed racing. Revenue from the hall is therefore treated as pari-mutuel wagering under state law rather than as casino income. For a working racetrack with gaming attached, Louisville visitors head to Turfway Park or the Red Mile instead.
From Louisville Downs to Derby City Gaming
The site has a racing past. Louisville Downs, a harness track, operated here until 1991; Churchill Downs then bought the property and used it as a winter training center for thoroughbreds and an off-track betting room. Derby City Gaming opened on September 14, 2018, as an 85,000-square-foot, $65 million building with 1,000 machines.
Expansion followed. The floor now holds nearly 1,300 games, and state reports for August 2026 counted 1,247 devices earning an average of $473 each per day, the highest per-machine figure in Kentucky. With $18.3 million that month, Derby City Gaming remained the state’s top-grossing venue even after a small decline from a year earlier.
The gaming floor and sportsbook
The main floor is non-smoking, with a separate open-air gaming patio and outdoor smoking area. Titles include Buffalo, Huff n’ Puff, Devil’s Lock, Wheel of Fortune and Ultimate Fire Link, and a High Limit Room serves bigger bettors. Results come from pari-mutuel pools on past races. Guests are encouraged to set a budget before they play.
Sports wagering runs through 15 kiosks around the Sports & Stage Bar, which has a 300-square-foot video board and 70-inch screens. Football, basketball, baseball, hockey and soccer are covered, and live horse racing from other tracks plays in the simulcast area. A Bet Builder app lets guests prepare a slip on a phone and print it at a kiosk.
The Derby City Gaming hotel
The hotel opened in June 2023 with 123 rooms connected directly to the gaming floor. Standard Luxury King and Luxury Double Queen rooms measure 430 square feet, with pillow-top beds, 55-inch televisions, mini-fridges and coffee stations, and King Suites run to 950 square feet. The decor carries a Kentucky Derby theme throughout the corridors and rooms.
Because it is part of a gaming property, the hotel accepts only guests aged 21 and older. Active-duty military and veterans can book discounted rates, and a horsemen’s package is offered for visiting trainers and owners. The location is about five minutes from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, which makes the hotel a practical stop for travelers arriving by air.
Dining and bars
Oliver’s Chop House is the sit-down restaurant, serving USDA prime steaks and seafood, with a Bourbon Bar at its entrance stocked with local spirits. The EATS area offers two quick-service counters: Railbird’s for hot chicken and sides, and Lil’ Wagner’s for burgers and sandwiches, with breakfast served Wednesday through Sunday from 8 to 10 a.m.
The Center Bar sits just off the gaming floor, while the Sports & Stage Bar mixes game-day crowds with live bands and DJs on weekends. Admission is free, the hall is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and ATMs on site can also redeem machine tickets, which saves a trip to the cage.
Derby City Gaming Downtown
The sister venue at 401 West Market Street opened on December 6, 2023. It is smaller, with 382 machines reported for August 2026, and offers historical racing video poker that the main hall does not. A bar, wine and bourbon service, an official Kentucky Derby gift shop and a Churchill Downs history exhibit set it apart.
Downtown keeps its own hours: 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Both venues share the FastTrack Rewards program, so points and tier status carry over between them. Machine tickets and sports betting tickets must be cashed at the property where they were issued, however.
Getting there and nearby venues
From Interstate 264, take Exit 14 to Poplar Level Road and drive south about half a mile to the main entrance. Parking is free across 1,180 spaces, with no valet. Rideshare drivers use marked points by the hotel. The hotel puts downtown Louisville at roughly fifteen minutes by car, which is also the drive to the Market Street hall.
Elsewhere in Kentucky, the Red Mile in Lexington, about 75 miles east, combines harness racing with an HHR room, and Turfway Park near Cincinnati races thoroughbreds in winter. The Kentucky page lists all licensed tracks and satellites, and racinos near me compares distances from Louisville to venues in Indiana and Ohio.