A group of private investors has proposed a $250 million casino resort in the coalfield region of Jenkins, Kentucky, on Pine Mountain at the Virginia border. One of the investors, James Hibbitts, said, “This whole entire region is hurting and we need jobs. And somebody needed to stand up and offer up something. We have to figure this thing out as people to move forward. Do we want to give up? Or do we want to fight?”
Hibbitts said the investor group, which has not been made public, plans to lobby the legislature in January to drum up support for a casino referendum, which parimutuel racetrack owners so far have opposed. Casino backers hope the November election will result in more lawmakers who support the idea.
