Kentucky Senate Committee Approves Betting Bill

Kentucky may soon legalize sports betting as a new bill continues to gain traction. House Bill 511 seeks to allow wagering on sports at the state’s horse racing tracks, bringing a new gambling vertical to the state. In addition, racing tracks would be able to partner with up to three online operators, allowing local customers to play online.

Now, the Bill, which passed a House vote on Monday, also passed through a state Senate committee. Despite this, many challenges remain.

Kentucky Closer to Sports Betting than Ever

House Bill 511 is but the latest effort to bring sports flutters to the Bluegrass State. Kentucky has been trying to legalize punts since 2018 when the PASPA was repealed. However, previous efforts have ended in failure.

Despite the past misfirings, there is now a real chance for Kentucky to welcome sports betting. No bill has previously been able to pass the Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee. Not only that but the committee voted resoundingly in favor of HB 511, with 9 votes in favor of the measure against one that opposed it.

Many believe that Governor Andy Beshear is in favor of sports betting and would sign the bill into law, meaning that the only challenge to Kentucky becoming the 37th state to allow sports betting is the Senate. Beshear’s campaign from four years ago prominently highlighted his pro-gambling stance.

Rep. Meredith Will Seek Supporters

While HB 511 has a real chance of passing, it is still too early to rejoice as the Senate will pose the greatest threat to the measure yet. Under local laws, the bill must receive at least three-fifths of the Senate votes to pass. In addition, passing HB 511 would be a race against time since there are but four days remaining in this year’s legislative session.

Luckily, a planned recess period in the legislative session may work in favor of the bill as it would provide its supporters with enough time to convince other senators to vote in favor of the bill. State Rep. Michael Meredith admitted that the pro-gambling camp is still a few votes short of passing the bill.

The legislative session will continue on March 29-30 when the fate of sports betting in Kentucky will be conclusively decided, at least for now.

Earlier this month, a Kentucky House committee also cleared HB 594 which imposes a ban on “gray” video game machines with cash payouts.