The new legislative session in Kentucky began last month with one overriding question hovering over the world of gaming: Which road to expanded gaming is most likely to succeed?
Some state lawmakers are confident that the legislative road, torpedoed repeatedly over the first term of Governor Steve Beshear, can succeed now, since Beshear trounced the main opponent to expanded gaming, state Senate President David Williams, in November’s gubernatorial election.
State Rep. Dennis Keene, saying he is confident that the legislature can pass expanded gaming this year, pre-filed a bill for the new session that would allow free-standing casinos and either slots or full-blown casino gaming at the state’s racetracks.
A recent statewide survey, meanwhile, shows that an overwhelming majority of Kentuckians want the chance to vote on whether or not to amend the constitution to allow casino gambling—the method that has been favored by Beshear. The survey, conducted by Washington, D.C.-based national public opinion research firm Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group, shows that 87 percent of respondents favor legislation that would create a statewide referendum on whether to amend the state constitution to allow casino gambling. The same survey shows that 64 percent of Kentuckians would vote in favor of a constitutional amendment legalizing casino gaming.
Beshear quickly cited the poll to support his position. “Once again, a new poll shows Kentuckians demand an opportunity to vote on expanded gaming,” he said in a statement. “The call for a direct vote by the people of this state has only gotten stronger over the last few years.
A recent report in the Louisville Courier-Journal suggests that Beshear’s plan for the constitutional amendment could propose as many as nine casinos.
