Sports-betting bill introduced in Kentucky looks like a longshot
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- A Kentucky legislator has introduced a bill that would allow racetracks in the state to offer sports betting, including through mobile devices, but the bill has a slim chance of passage in the short 2023 session, according to officials.
The bill, introduced on Wednesday by Rep. Michael Meredith, a Republican representing an area near Bowling Green, would restrict sports betting to licensed racetracks, which already have monopolies on operating slot machine-like devices in the state. Under the bill, sports betting could be conducted on-site or through computer or mobile applications administered by third-party licensees.
Racetracks, which have outsized political influence in Kentucky, have been lobbying for the means to conduct sports wagering over the last several years. A number of top Republicans support the prospect, along with Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, but many Republicans from rural districts are highly suspect of plans to expand gambling.
Although Republicans have a super-majority in both houses of the legislature, the sports gambling legislation lost a critical proponent when Rep. Adam Koenig, an eight-term legislator, was defeated in a Republican primary last year. Koenig is now the executive director of the Kentucky Quarter Horse Racing Association.
Supporters of sports betting predicted prior to the 2023 session that the measure would be a hard sell this year. Because of rules related to sessions held in odd-numbered years, the bill would need a three-fifths majority to pass in each chamber of the legislature. In even-numbered years, the bill would need a simple majority.
A similar bill was filed earlier in the session by Democrats, but that bill was considered dead on arrival due to the party of the bill’s sponsors.
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