Kentucky state Rep. Adam Koenig announced he will file a bill that would legalize online and retail sports wagering; both currently are not allowed in the state.
Koenig said he’s not sure when he’ll file the measure, which also would regulate online poker and daily fantasy sports.
Koenig noted with the passage of a historical horseracing bill last year, many lawmakers are less hesitant to support sports wagering. He said,
“I’ve talked to many of them that voted yes and they went home and they got pushback from one, two, three, four, five people and then it went away. So the pushback that was perceived on a pro-gaming vote just really isn’t what people expected it to be.”
Koenig also noted many lawmakers who feared they might have to explain their vote on historical horseracing in the coming primary elections have
Still, Martin Cothran, spokesperson for the conservative Family Foundation of Kentucky, said the group would fight any attempt to expand gambling in Kentucky and would challenge the constitutionality of any sports betting proposal. Cothran said, “We already have a problem here in Kentucky with an underclass that has been exploited in many ways, from easy cash at the local shop to the lottery, and now we’re going to throw this on them as well. This is a regressive tax.”
Missouri is the only state bordering Kentucky that has not yet legalized sports gambling.
