Kentucky Lawmakers Return This Week With Gambling On Their Minds

Governor Steve Beshear has been pushing his gambling expansion agenda for much of 2009, and now the governor is encouraging lawmakers to make changes to state laws. The legislators reconvene on Tuesday with the gambling issue being among the most pressing.

Beshear has sent mixed signals last year when he pushed for gambling expansion at state racetracks, but attacked online gambling sites. He claimed that the online gambling sites were dangerous, and that gambling at the racetracks was necessary.

Beshear is calling for a bipartisan effort to expand gambling in Kentucky in the new year, although he may have a hard time selling that idea. The projected $100 million budget shortfall is a reason that Beshear has pointed to when pushing the expanded slot gambling.

Racetracks in the state have been hit hard by the economy in the US, as have many other tracks around the country. In many states, lawmakers have already made law changes that have benefited their racing industries.

The governor and Senate President David Williams have differing opinions on how to fix the economic crisis in Kentucky. Williams does not believe that gambling is the answer, instead, he believes personnel cuts are necessary.

The one thing that Beshear has opposed in lawmakers' efforts to correct the economic situation is a tax increase across the board. Beshear feels that a tax increase will only further hurt the state financially.

January 3, 2010
Posted By April Gardner
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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