Kentucky Legislators Go To Work To Contradict Governor On Gambling

The state of Kentucky and their governor, Steve Beshear, spent the last part of 2008 successfully seizing the domain names of 141 online gambling sites. The reason, they claim, is to protect the children of Kentucky from the dangers of gambling.

House Speaker Greg Stumbo should have been informed of that stance before taking his position on the issue. He assumed the role of house speaker on Wednesday and what was the first Bill he pushed?

Stumbo said on Wednesday that he will introduce a Bill this week that would expand gambling at state race tracks. He will try to allow the state to have video slot machines at the tracks year-round.

That is a sharp change of direction from the state who, as recently as December, told a court that they must protect their children from gambling. While Stumbo did not get the memo, there are still many other politicians who are opposed to the expanded gambling.

Stumbo believes that the slots at the tracks would be acceptable because they would only be at the tracks. He claims that regulation and oversight would be the key to properly expanding gambling in the state.

At the heart of the gambling debate in Kentucky is money. This Bill would bring millions of dollars into the state, while the online gambling sites brought none. Some believe Beshear's actions against online gambling was part of a plan.

"If they (Kentucky) can eliminate online gambling in their state, people would be forced to spend their money at casinos in the state. Beshear knew exactly what he was doing when he went after the domain names. He knew eventually slots would be a factor and he wanted to ensure the state received the most profit possible from those slots," said observer Jim Grubert.

The online domain case is currently in the Court of Appeals. Many people around the country are watching closely for the outcome of that case. If allowed to stand, the courts ruling will pave the way for individual states to begin censoring the Internet.

January 9, 2009
Posted By Larry Rutherford
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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