Gambling Proposals Popping Up Again
It had been hoped that 2010 would be a year when there would at least be a breather from the gambling industry's incessant push to expand gambling in Kentucky. Unfortunately, now that the initial work on the budget is being completed and legislators are well passed the filing deadline for this November's elections, proposals to allow "electronic games of skill" at the state's racetracks are now surfacing. These proposals are yet another smokescreen to allow the gambling industry to begin vacuuming money out of the pockets of Kentucky citizens and should be seen as such. There's very little difference between the machines being proposed and slot machines that the racetracks really want except for the fact that the user has to actually play a game to lose their money rather than simply pushing a button. This forces gamblers to lose more slowly, which is why they are not seen to be as lucrative as regular slot machines. They are still very dangerous for Kentucky's citizens and economy, however.
And how long would it be once these machines are approved before the big gambling corporations would be asking for more? The one sure bet is that they will never be satisfied.
Here's coverage about the latest proposal in the General Assembly from The Courier-Journal in Louisville:
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A second bill to allow so-called “electronic games of skill” at racetracks was filed Thursday, but the debate over expanded gambling appeared no closer to resolution.
Democratic Floor Leader Ed Worley of Richmond estimated that his Senate Bill 224 would provide $34.8 million for purses at tracks in 2011-12.
The bill is almost the same as House Bill 601, filed earlier this week by Rep. Harry Moberly, D-Richmond.
Kentucky’s horse industry leaders have argued that they need expanded gambling to level the playing field with states that use casino proceeds to boost purses and breeding incentives.
Industry officials have said they’re willing to consider the skill games proposal, which Worley and others say is not as lucrative as the traditional slot machines in some neighboring states’ casinos.
“The only thing that I’m thinking about is what (would be) some resolution to the dilemma that our horse industry finds itself in,” said Worley, who indicated that the industry supports the concept.
“You can ask anybody that has read it in the industry and I think they would tell you that, absent of slots or casinos, this is a viable option,” he said.
Patrick Neely, executive director of the pro-slots Kentucky Equine Education Project, stopped short of a full endorsement.
“Electronic games of skill … have produced positive results in Arkansas, and we are supportive of current efforts to provide relief from the overwhelming competitive advantages our neighboring states enjoy,” he said.
The plan in the two is similar to the gambling parlor at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. There, electronic games like video blackjack are in place, along with Instant Racing, a device that resembles a slot machine but uses previously run races to determine winners in a pari-mutuel format.
Meanwhile, Sen. Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, said he will offer a plan to help the horse industry by altering currently filed bills — Thursday was the deadline for new Senate bills. But he declined to provide specifics.
Click here to read the full story on the Web site of The Courier-Journal.
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