Alan Keck calls on Kentucky Senate to vote on sports gaming bill

 

Kentucky Republican candidate for governor: ‘It’s time to get this done’

 

SOMERSET, KENTUCKY (March 30, 2023) — On the last day of a short session in which the Kentucky General Assembly has passed a number of bills that will move Kentucky forward, Somerset Mayor and Kentucky Republican gubernatorial candidate Alan Keck is calling for the Kentucky Senate to take action on one more: sports gaming.

As of 9:45 p.m. March 29, Sen. Damon Thayer said that House Bill 551, which would legalize sports betting and impose a tax that could bring in more than $20 million in annual revenue to Kentucky, does not have the votes to pass and will not get a vote on the floor. Members of the media estimate it is only one vote short.

“This is not the time to back away from a measure that could quite literally be a game changer for Kentucky,” Keck said. “Whether it’s one vote or five, the right thing to do is to put House Bill 551 to a vote so that Kentuckians know for certain where our legislators stand on this issue. I’ve said it many times and I will say it again: It is hypocritical at best and egregious at worst that you can place a wager on a horse and buy a lottery ticket in our state but you can’t put $5 on the UK-Louisville game. We are turning our heads as this money rushes out of our borders and into other states and it’s a shame. Let’s be bold and capture this revenue while regulating sports gaming appropriately. It’s time to get this done.”

Advocating for sports gaming legislation has been a priority for Keck since day one of his candidacy for governor. Revenue generated from this measure would help fund education and public safety initiatives in Keck’s Game Plan for Kentucky. The game plan outlines strategies for improvement in four areas — Economy, Family, Public Safety and Education — with a focus on policies that will help Kentucky grow, get more Kentuckians back to work, build the best education system in America, create a safer Commonwealth, and make Kentucky the most pro-life, pro-family state in the nation.