sports betting bill<\/a> passed the House Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations Committee, which Koenig chairs. But it did not get a floor vote in the House due to legislative rules requiring 60 votes to pass fiscal legislation in odd-numbered years. Fiscal bills during legislative sessions in even-numbered years, which is when lawmakers pass the biennial budget, require just a simple majority from both chambers.<\/p>\n‘A Little Bit More Momentum’<\/h2>\n
In an interview with Casino.org<\/i> after Monday\u2019s meeting, Thayer didn\u2019t want to predict whether a sports betting bill would pass. However, he thinks its chances in 2020 are better.<\/p>\n
\u201cDue to the fact that it\u2019s a lower vote threshold and surrounding states, especially Tennessee, passing it gives us a little bit more momentum to pass the bill,\u201d said Thayer, who does support the proposal.<\/p>\n
In addition to Tennessee, which expects to have sports betting launched by the spring, sports betting is currently available in neighboring Indiana and West Virginia. Illinois, like Tennessee, has approved sports betting and is ramping up to allow it next year.<\/p>\n
Any sports betting bill passed by the Republican-led General Assembly would need Gov. Andy Beshear\u2019s approval. Beshear, a Democrat sworn in just last week, campaigned on expanding gaming in the state.<\/p>\n
Opposition Still Present<\/h2>\n
The Kentucky sports betting bill will face some opposition as it makes its way through the legislature, and potentially in the courts if it becomes law. The Family Foundation of Kentucky, which led the fight against the bill last year, has said it remains opposed to expanded gaming for several reasons, including that the state would profit from the losses of its residents.<\/p>\n
In a statement to Casino.org<\/i> Monday, Martin Cothran, a senior policy analyst for the foundation, said state lawmakers and judges have understood the Constitution to only allow pari-mutuel, charitable gaming, and the state lottery.<\/p>\n
“Lawmakers trying to pass sports wagering know that the Constitution stands in their way, and so, instead of writing legislation to deal with the constitutional reality, they have chosen instead to change the meaning of words,\u201d Cothran said. \u201cWe think that most lawmakers are not going to fall for this linguistic sleight of hand.”<\/p>\n
The 2020 session starts next month, and the 60-day session will run until April 15.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kentucky lawmakers heard Monday from an attorney practicing in gaming law that the Bluegrass State does not need a constitutional amendment in order to legalize sports betting. Daniel Wallach told members of the Interim Joint Committee on Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations meeting in Frankfort that lawmakers can act on the issue. If a constitutional […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":122440,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[61,1074],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Gaming Lawyer Says Ky. Constitution Already Addresses Sports Betting<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n