Kentucky Sports Betting Bill Filed in General Assembly, Up to 27 Operators Permitted

Supporters of legalizing sports betting inward Bluegrass State go for the fifth clip is the charm. On Wednesday, tell Rep. Michael Meredith, R-Oakland, filed House Bill 551, statute law that would grant sportsbooks to operate through the state’s racetracks.

The government note is sculptural after previous attempts to legitimatize online and retail sports betting crossways the Bluegrass State, but thither are a few significant differences that George Meredith and other proponents trust testament run the bank bill o'er the limen this year.

HB 551 also removes linguistic communication legalizing online stove poker and regulating fantasy sports that was included in yesteryear sports betting bills.

“Online fire hook caused problems inward the Senate,” Meredith said inwards an question with Casino.org after filing the peak Wednesday. “We knew that was an issue.”

Meredith’s account would devote the state’s gymnastic horse tracks upwards to 3 skins, significance in that location could be as many as 27 operators inward Kentucky. The tracks could partner with unity operator inwards previous versions of the bill. The tracks would compensate a $500,000 permission fee and $50,000 for annual renewals, piece operators would make up $50,000 for their licenses and $10,000 for one-year renewals.

The task range will remain the same as previous bills, 14.25% for online familiarized 144 revenue (AGR) and 9.75% for retail AGR. However, this year’s billhook allows operators to deduct the .25% federal excise assess inwards determining their AGR.

Horse Racing Commission Would Regulate

As with previous attempts at passage, the vizor allows anyone 18 and older to wager on sports inward the state. That’s the same eld requirement for KY Lottery games and to wager at any of the horse tracks.

The measure gives the Bluegrass State Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) the authority to order sports betting and laurels licenses. The legislation also mandates that the KHRC grow the rules “to plant a full functioning sports wagering system” no later than half dozen months after the bill becomes law.

Meredith’s invoice also covers some wholeness issues by making it a Class type A misdemeanour if someone bets on a sporting event inwards which they’re participating. That also includes spouses and “close” relatives of players, coaches, and officials, and any single(a) who has more than a 5% stake inwards pro teams and who could work roster and coaching job moves.

It also makes it a Class c felony for anyone to tamper with an event.

HB 551 does brings dorsum a requirement for people to registry for online accounts at the tracks. The peak calls for a 12-month in the flesh(p) enrolment full stop after the account becomes law.

Swift Bipartisan Support for Sports Betting

While thither feature been other sports betting bills filed during the session, Meredith’s proposal has been the i considered the most likely to go because Republicans controller to the highest degree of the General Assembly’s 138 seats. They contain an 80-20 inch o'er Democrats in the House and a 30-7 vantage inwards the Senate, with ace sit vacant.

However, Meredith noted his greenback apace garnered two-way support. In fact, hexad of the 10 cosponsors who united with him on the banknote are Democrats. That includes Democratic Floor Leader Derrick Graham, D-Frankfort, still though he filed a legalisation government note of his own earlier inwards the session.

State Rep. Al Gentry, D-Louisville, is also a sponsor, as he was on previous attempts.

“I believe inwards sports wagering,” Gentry told Casino.org Wednesday. “I cogitate the people want it. That’s probably the biggest reason. At least the people inward my territorial dominion definitely require it, in my city definitely require it, and inward my opinion, the people that the likes of to wager on sports are already doing it.”

Kentucky ‘Behind the Curve’

Kentucky finds itself essentially surrounded past sound sports betting states. Six of the septet abut states already experience licensed sportsbooks operating, and they’re attracting Kentuckians inwards droves. a recent hit the books past GeoComply found almost 180,000 unique wagering accounts used by Kentucky residents inward other states during the NFL season.

As Meredith noted Wednesday, no more Bluegrass State biotic community is more than rough 80 miles forth from a effectual sports betting state.

A big portion of the state, you canful parkway crosswise the tell line and follow in that location inwards no time,” he added.

The lawmaker also told Casino.org he did quite an a scrap of explore while workings on the bill. He was shocked that rough three-quarters of the US states have got already sanctioned sports betting statute law within the past 5 years.

“I knew we were a minuscule behindhand the curve,” James Howard Meredith said. “I didn’t actualize we were as far behind the breaking ball as we actually were.”

Meredith Said House Support Remains Strong

Last yr pronounced the first-class honours degree time the Bluegrass State House sanctioned a sports betting bill. Proponents worked inward the Senate upwards until the final daylight of the session, but those efforts came up nigh quaternion votes short.

One difference 'tween endure year’s and this year’s session is that this year is not a budget twelvemonth for lawmakers. Because of that, any revenue-generating visor requires a three-fifths bulk inward apiece chamber. During budget years, those bills require just now a unsubdivided majority.

Even with 25 young House members this year, the 60-vote threshold is likely attainable. Last year, the House voted 58-30 to give it, and on that point were a few supporters who weren’t on manus when the vote was taken.

Meredith said 30 electric current GOP members voted for the billhook endure year, and another friend who missed finally year’s voter turnout is also back. He also believes they put up plectron upwardly about 10 young Republican River representatives.

He also expects most, if non all, Democrats to get behindhand the bill, largely because Gov. Andy Beshear, also a Democrat, is an devouring(a) proponent of legalizing sports betting.

Will the Senate Vote This Year?

Where it may get tricky is inward the Senate. Because of the three-fifths stipulation, it substance it’ll want 23 yes votes. That way if all Democrats in that chamber backing the bill, it’ll demand 16 of the 30 Republicans to vote yes.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, told Casino.org inward a text that that threshold is a “barrier to successful passage.” Still, he remains the bill’s biggest hero in the Senate. He worked closely with James Howard Meredith on some of the changes made to this year’s bill.

I am looking frontwards to working with Rep. Meredith to attempt to go the sports betting greenback further than it has before,” Thayer said.

Meredith said he didn’t require to follow “overly optimistic” but believes they’re come together to the votes they need.

Crunch Time Already inward Frankfort

Timing may also follow an issue.

Odd-year sessions lowest only 30 legislative days, and Wed was the session’s 14th day. The session runs Little Joe days a week through and through Mar 16, and after a veto geological period for Beshear, lawmakers homecoming to capital of Kentucky to conclude it on March 29-30.

In an interview Tuesday, House Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations Committee Chairman Matt Koch, R-Paris, indicated that the committee’s top out precedency is a banknote to forbidding grayness games or accomplishment games inwards the state. He said he wasn’t sure the citizens committee could try two bills of that magnitude during the same meeting.

Theoretically, that substance the sports betting peak may not have a House committee audience until the hebdomad of Mar 6. If that’s the case, it way the banknote may not get under one's skin a vote in the House until the death of that calendar week or early inwards the week following. That schedule would commit the Senate minuscule time for passage, although they could moot it during the net 2 years of the session since supporters cognize Beshear would mark the greenback into law.