The latest bid to legalize sports betting in the Bluegrass State is making serious progress.
House Bill 606 was passed Friday by the Kentucky House of Representatives on a 58-30 vote.
The bill now heads to the other chamber of Kentucky’s legislature, its Senate. There, it will need to be approved again before it can become law and legal sports betting can begin in the commonwealth.
#makeKY34
— Adam Koenig (@repkoenig) March 18, 2022
On to the Senate! https://t.co/4Rzp3vczqe
However, there is no guarantee of success for H.B. 606 in the Senate and there are only nine more legislative days left on the Kentucky General Assembly's calendar. All business in the Frankfort legislature must wrap up by April 15.
Still, the bill’s progress comes as Kentucky is almost surrounded by states that already have legal sports betting, such as Illinois and Virginia. The bill’s chief sponsor in the legislature also cited a statistic from the American Gaming Association that Kentuckians (who can already legally bet on horse racing, including the Kentucky Derby) are already illegally wagering more than $2 billion a year on sports.
“House Bill 606 brings activities that go on in every corner of this state out of the darkness and into the light,” Rep. Adam Koenig said before Friday’s vote.
The details
If it does ever earn the governor’s signature, H.B. 606 would allow licensed racetracks or professional sports venues to offer both retail and online sports betting. Bettors would need to be 18 or older and would still have to travel to a track or stadium to register themselves for mobile wagering, according to the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. The tracks could also partner with a sportsbook operator to take bets.
Koenig said the tax revenue generated by sports betting would help fund the state’s pension system, and that he’s expecting at least $22.5 million in receipts every year.
And, Koenig added, Kentuckians deserve the opportunity to do something they enjoy with government regulation and protections in place.
“The fact is, we've been betting on sports in America since they invented sports,” Koenig said Friday in the chamber.
