Beshear signs Kentucky HHR bill

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Monday signed a bill allowing for the continued operation of historical horse racing machines at Kentucky racetracks.

Beshear signed the bill after vowing to support any effort to clear up the legality of the devices, which have generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for their operators and provided subsidies to purses and breeder awards in the state.

The bill, which expands the state’s definition of pari-mutuel wagering to include the devices, was passed by the House 12 days ago, following passage in the Senate two days earlier. A Kentucky Supreme Court ruling in September of last year put the devices in a state of legal limbo.

Casinos located at Kentucky tracks continued to operate following the release of the Supreme Court ruling, with the exception of a three-week closure by the operators of a casino at The Red Mile standardbred track in downtown Lexington. The casino re-opened several days after the House passed the bill.