Former Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Will T. Scott kicked off his campaign for governor last week with a press conference in which he addressed two issues: appointing a running mate, and announcing his support for expanded gambling in the state to raise money to meet public pension obligations.
The Republican candidate to succeed Governor Steve Beshear, who is ineligible to run because of term limits, said he supports amending the state constitution to legalize casino-style gambling to deal with the state’s ongoing struggle to meet its pension obligations. He said licenses and fees for five casinos could create $125 million in the first year, and that casino gambling could produce as much as $250 million in annual revenue to the state.
It’s a song that’s been played many times in Kentucky gubernatorial elections, including those of both Beshear and his predecessor, Ernie Fletcher. The issue has been defeated repeatedly in the legislature, though, despite Beshear’s support and the lobby of the state’s storied racetracks, who say they are losing money to racinos in neighboring states that have slot revenues.
