{"id":205855,"date":"2022-03-17T20:35:14","date_gmt":"2022-03-18T03:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=205855"},"modified":"2022-03-18T09:42:51","modified_gmt":"2022-03-18T16:42:51","slug":"as-kentucky-lawmakers-weigh-gray-games-ban-pace-o-matic-donates-125k-to-fop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/as-kentucky-lawmakers-weigh-gray-games-ban-pace-o-matic-donates-125k-to-fop\/","title":{"rendered":"Gray Games Ban Weighed in Kentucky, Pace-O-Matic Gives $125K to Police Charity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pace-O-Matic, a developer of skill-based games, made a $125,000 donation to the Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) on Tuesday, one day before a bill that would ban such machines from operating in the state passed in a legislative committee.<\/p>\n

\"Killian<\/a>
Kentucky state Rep. Killian Timoney speaks on the House floor during a General Assembly session in January 2022. The Lexington Republican has sponsored a bill that would ban gray machines, also known as skill games, that have popped up across the state in recent years. (Image: Kentucky House GOP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Supporting law enforcement officers was \u201cthe best investment any company can make,\u201d company President and COO Paul Goldean said in a statement. The funds will go toward the law enforcement labor union\u2019s disaster area response team (DART).<\/p>\n

The skill games, also referred to as \u201cgray machines\u201d because they\u2019re considered unregulated, are controversial. Pace-o-Matic donation comes not only as lawmakers debate, but also as companies like Pace-O-Matic have installed a multiple of games in various places throughout the state. Machines are found in convenience stores and FOP lodges across the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs law enforcement officers, the commitment to our communities and neighbors does not end when we take off the uniform at the end of our shift,\u201d<\/strong> Kentucky FOP Ways & Means Chair Mike Sweeney said in a statement. \u201cThe generosity of our partners at Pace-O-Matic will enable us to quickly support our fellow Kentuckians the next time a disaster occurs.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Through DART, the Kentucky FOP sends teams to communities where natural disasters hit. Those individuals provide meals for first responders tending to the emergency and ensure access to food, water, and other needs.<\/p>\n

Vote on Ban May Come Friday<\/h2>\n

On Wednesday, the House Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations Committee passed four gaming-related bills. Three of them, including a measure to legalize sports betting<\/a>, were passed unanimously. The fourth, House Bill 608<\/a> which would ban the machines, featured a lengthy debate.<\/p>\n

The bill sponsored by state Rep. Killian Timoney, R-Lexington, made it through the committee with an 11-3 vote. However, four committee members passed, and even some of those who voted for the bill have indicated they may not vote for it on the House floor.<\/p>\n

HB 608 may get a vote on the House floor as early as Friday morning.<\/p>\n

Lottery Cites Sales Losses Due to Games<\/h2>\n

Supporters of the bill say that the skill games have come into Kentucky without approval, and taken away sales and revenue. There\u2019s also uncertainty because some retailers that allow the games in their businesses permit 18-year-olds to play the games \u2013 the same age limit as the lottery \u2013 and others set the minimum age at 21.<\/p>\n

We’ve had retailers say we don’t want the gray machines, but we have to have them in order to compete with the store down the street,\u201d <\/strong>Kentucky Lottery President Mary Harville told the committee Wednesday. \u201cAnd we’ve had our retailers tell us, \u2018Please do not make us choose between these machines and the lottery, because we will have to choose these machines.\u2019 Why is that? Because the machines make more money and there are no rules to follow.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Harville said lottery officials have looked at sales statewide. Since the gray machines or skill games have set up shop, sales in retailers that also offer those games have declined about 5.5 percent.<\/p>\n

There are more than 1,500 such machines in nearly 400 lottery retailers located in 72 of Kentucky\u2019s 120 counties, Harville added. That\u2019s not counting bars and other venues \u2013 like FOP lodges \u2013 that also host games.<\/p>\n

Game Developer Says There’s Nothing Gray About Them<\/h2>\n

In testimony before the committee, Goldean told lawmakers that Pace-O-Matic seeks to be \u201cdisruptive\u201d in that it generates revenues for the retailers. He added that the company regulates itself and hires retired police officers to enforce contractual agreements and requirements.<\/p>\n

Supporters of the machines say a ban may be unconstitutional. Those who testified on behalf of the industry Wednesday morning included two former state representatives, including John Tilley, who also served as the secretary for the state\u2019s justice cabinet.<\/p>\n

Tilley told the committee that when Pace-O-Matic got ready to enter Kentucky, company officials conducted a census and determined there were already up to 20,000 illegal gray games in the state.\u00a0 With few exceptions<\/a>, there was little enforcement against them.<\/p>\n

\n

He added that when the company entered Kentucky, it did so after communicating with officials from the Office of Charitable Gaming and the Public Protection Cabinet. Before it entered the state roughly a year ago \u2013 it now has machines in 42 counties \u2013 Tilley and others met with local elected officials and prosecutors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe idea that somehow this company entered the marketplace under the cover of night is simply not true,\u201d Tilley said.<\/p>\n

Kentucky is not the only state to grapple with what to do with such games. Several states have weighed legislation. Virginia, before banning them, allowed retailers to operate them for one final year and taxed the machines to fund COVID-19 relief measures.<\/p>\n

Even if a House vote comes Friday or later, the bill still would need to be approved by the Senate. Lawmakers have until March 30 before a 10-day veto period begins for Gov. Andy Beshear. After that period ends, lawmakers would return for one final two-day period starting on April 13.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pace-O-Matic, a developer of skill-based games, made a $125,000 donation to the Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) on Tuesday, one day before a bill that would ban such machines from operating in the state passed in a legislative committee. Supporting law enforcement officers was \u201cthe best investment any company can make,\u201d company President and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":205856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,13],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAs Kentucky May Ban Gray Games, Pace-O-Matic Donates $125K to FOP<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A vote on ban gray machines, or skill games, may come as soon as Friday in the Kentucky state House of Representatives\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"As Kentucky May Ban Gray Games, Pace-O-Matic Donates $125K to FOP\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A vote on ban gray machines, or skill games, may come as soon as Friday in the Kentucky state House of Representatives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/as-kentucky-lawmakers-weigh-gray-games-ban-pace-o-matic-donates-125k-to-fop\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-03-18T03:35:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-03-18T16:42:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Timoney_KY.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1258\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"746\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Steve Bittenbender\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Steve Bittenbender\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/as-kentucky-lawmakers-weigh-gray-games-ban-pace-o-matic-donates-125k-to-fop\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/as-kentucky-lawmakers-weigh-gray-games-ban-pace-o-matic-donates-125k-to-fop\/\",\"name\":\"As Kentucky May Ban Gray Games, Pace-O-Matic Donates $125K to FOP\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/as-kentucky-lawmakers-weigh-gray-games-ban-pace-o-matic-donates-125k-to-fop\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/as-kentucky-lawmakers-weigh-gray-games-ban-pace-o-matic-donates-125k-to-fop\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Timoney_KY.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-03-18T03:35:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-03-18T16:42:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2\"},\"description\":\"A vote on ban gray machines, or skill games, may come as soon as Friday in the Kentucky state House of Representatives\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/as-kentucky-lawmakers-weigh-gray-games-ban-pace-o-matic-donates-125k-to-fop\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/as-kentucky-lawmakers-weigh-gray-games-ban-pace-o-matic-donates-125k-to-fop\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/as-kentucky-lawmakers-weigh-gray-games-ban-pace-o-matic-donates-125k-to-fop\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Timoney_KY.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Timoney_KY.png\",\"width\":1258,\"height\":746,\"caption\":\"Kentucky state Rep. Killian Timoney speaks on the House floor during a General Assembly session in January 2022. The Lexington Republican has sponsored a bill that would ban gray machines, also known as skill games, that have popped up across the state in recent years. (Image: Kentucky House GOP)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/as-kentucky-lawmakers-weigh-gray-games-ban-pace-o-matic-donates-125k-to-fop\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Legislation\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/legislation\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Gray Games Ban Weighed in Kentucky, Pace-O-Matic Gives $125K to Police Charity\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Casino.org\",\"description\":\"Latest Casino and Gaming News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2\",\"name\":\"Steve Bittenbender\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-7-1-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-7-1-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"Steve Bittenbender\"},\"description\":\"Steve Bittenbender covers Midwest and Gulport news for Casino.org. He also specializes in sports betting and horse racing. Steve is a veteran reporter and brings more than two decades of experience covering sports, business and politics. He joined Casino.org in 2019. Steve has also covered major collegiate and professional sports for the Associated Press and the Louisville Courier-Journal and is frequently featured on local network TV newscasts and podcasts for his horse racing business and legislative expertise. A Reuters contributor, he has also previously served as editor for Government Security News. Steve lives in Louisville, Kentucky -- the epicenter of the US horse racing industry -- with his wife and son. He is also an avid poker player, having learned from his uncle as a wholesome after-school pastime with cookies and milk. Contact Steve at stevebittenbender@casino.org.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/steve-bittenbender\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"As Kentucky May Ban Gray Games, Pace-O-Matic Donates $125K to FOP","description":"A vote on ban gray machines, or skill games, may come as soon as Friday in the Kentucky state House of Representatives","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"As Kentucky May Ban Gray Games, Pace-O-Matic Donates $125K to FOP","og_description":"A vote on ban gray machines, or skill games, may come as soon as Friday in the Kentucky state House of Representatives","og_url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/as-kentucky-lawmakers-weigh-gray-games-ban-pace-o-matic-donates-125k-to-fop\/","og_site_name":"Casino.org","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews","article_published_time":"2022-03-18T03:35:14+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-03-18T16:42:51+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1258,"height":746,"url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Timoney_KY.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Steve Bittenbender","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Casino_Org","twitter_site":"@Casino_Org","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Steve Bittenbender","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/as-kentucky-lawmakers-weigh-gray-games-ban-pace-o-matic-donates-125k-to-fop\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/as-kentucky-lawmakers-weigh-gray-games-ban-pace-o-matic-donates-125k-to-fop\/","name":"As Kentucky May Ban Gray Games, Pace-O-Matic Donates $125K to FOP","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/as-kentucky-lawmakers-weigh-gray-games-ban-pace-o-matic-donates-125k-to-fop\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/as-kentucky-lawmakers-weigh-gray-games-ban-pace-o-matic-donates-125k-to-fop\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Timoney_KY.png","datePublished":"2022-03-18T03:35:14+00:00","dateModified":"2022-03-18T16:42:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2"},"description":"A vote on ban gray machines, or skill games, may come as soon as Friday in the Kentucky state House of Representatives","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/as-kentucky-lawmakers-weigh-gray-games-ban-pace-o-matic-donates-125k-to-fop\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/as-kentucky-lawmakers-weigh-gray-games-ban-pace-o-matic-donates-125k-to-fop\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/as-kentucky-lawmakers-weigh-gray-games-ban-pace-o-matic-donates-125k-to-fop\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Timoney_KY.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Timoney_KY.png","width":1258,"height":746,"caption":"Kentucky state Rep. Killian Timoney speaks on the House floor during a General Assembly session in January 2022. The Lexington Republican has sponsored a bill that would ban gray machines, also known as skill games, that have popped up across the state in recent years. (Image: Kentucky House GOP)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/as-kentucky-lawmakers-weigh-gray-games-ban-pace-o-matic-donates-125k-to-fop\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Legislation","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/legislation\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Gray Games Ban Weighed in Kentucky, Pace-O-Matic Gives $125K to Police Charity"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/","name":"Casino.org","description":"Latest Casino and Gaming News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eb30e765d812fc9b38b333f8d13068b2","name":"Steve Bittenbender","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-7-1-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-7-1-96x96.png","caption":"Steve Bittenbender"},"description":"Steve Bittenbender covers Midwest and Gulport news for Casino.org. He also specializes in sports betting and horse racing. Steve is a veteran reporter and brings more than two decades of experience covering sports, business and politics. He joined Casino.org in 2019. Steve has also covered major collegiate and professional sports for the Associated Press and the Louisville Courier-Journal and is frequently featured on local network TV newscasts and podcasts for his horse racing business and legislative expertise. A Reuters contributor, he has also previously served as editor for Government Security News. Steve lives in Louisville, Kentucky -- the epicenter of the US horse racing industry -- with his wife and son. He is also an avid poker player, having learned from his uncle as a wholesome after-school pastime with cookies and milk. Contact Steve at stevebittenbender@casino.org.","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/steve-bittenbender\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205855"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205855"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205855\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}