Kentucky General Assembly

A bill introduced in the Kentucky General Assembly Feb. 19 would divert 0.1% of all money wagered on live racing and historical horse race (HHR) betting to a to-be-created local government fund. The communities that would benefit from the fund would be the cities and towns that have racetracks and HHR betting facilities. According to HB 782, "local governments may use appropriations from this fund to address the social costs of problem gambling, including but not limited to: (a) Law enforcement retention; (b) Homelessness; (c) Affordable housing; and (d) The...

Kentucky's state senate adopted a resolution by voice vote Mar. 29 that will "urge" the overseers of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) and elected federal politicians "to review the funding methodology of HISA and ensure that they provide uniform treatment to all states," according to a summary of the measure posted on the web page of the Kentucky General Assembly. Senators Damon Thayer and John Schickel sponsored the resolution, which was both introduced and passed on Wednesday. The resolution describes itself as a means of "expressing concerns regarding...