“Ky. bills aim to boost horse racing industry (Princeton Times Leader)” plus 1 more |
| Ky. bills aim to boost horse racing industry (Princeton Times Leader) Posted: 06 Mar 2010 03:32 PM PST |
Saturday, March 06, 2010 A Republican senator said Friday that he'll mount a home-stretch push for legislation aimed at reinvigorating Kentucky's horse racing industry.
So far, it's been more like a series of starts and stops for racing advocates. But Sen. Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, said he hopes industry supporters can start making progress as the 60-day legislative session passed the two-thirds post this week.
"I wish the horse industry could stand on its own four feet," Thayer said. "But the competitive situation is tilted against the horse industry in Kentucky."
In the House, Rep. Harry Moberly introduced a bill this week to allow expansion of gambling at race tracks. On Friday, he called it part of a "last-ditch effort" to reach agreement on ways to assist the racing industry which has been hurt by the spread of casino-style gambling to some neighboring states and rival thoroughbred tracks.
"We need to do something to make our industry competitive with other states that are gaining ground on us," said Moberly, D-Richmond. "It's our signature industry."
Thayer said he plans a two-pronged approach in the next week or two.
He said he intends to seek approval for Instant Racing, a form of gambling that operates in a pari-mutuel format. It enables gamblers to bet on previous races except the identity of the race isn't revealed until after the betting.
Instant Racing has been a big success at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, where track officials have credited the game with helping generate millions in extra purse money for live racing.
"It's simply another way of betting on horses," Thayer said.
Moberly's bill would also allow Instant Racing in Kentucky.
Senate President David Williams, a staunch opponent of legalizing slot machines at race tracks, said there appears to be "some sentiment" in the Senate to support Instant Racing. Many see it as betting on races, not an expansion of gaming, he said.
Thayer's other proposal could be more of a longshot. He's looking to revive a proposed constitutional amendment letting Kentucky voters decide whether to expand gambling in Kentucky.
Racing interests have been pushing for casino-style games at horse tracks, but they insist the expansion can be done without a constitutional amendment.
Last year, a measure to allow video gambling machines at Kentucky tracks passed the House during a special session but died in the Senate.
Expanded gambling has been a nonstarter so far this session, though Gov. Steve Beshear included $780 million of assumed money in his budget proposal that was dependent upon legalizing video slot machines at race tracks.
In January, the Senate rejected a proposed referendum that would give voters a say in any proposal to expand gambling in Kentucky.
The measure needed 23 votes to pass but got only 21, all from Republicans.
Williams and Thayer insisted again Friday that any expanded gambling at tracks should be done only through a constitutional amendment. Thayer said the referendum would actually protect the horse industry by preventing the spread of gaming away from tracks.
Moberly and House Speaker Greg Stumbo said the referendum route isn't needed.
Moberly's bill would allow tracks to have so-called "electronic games of skill," which could include video poker and video blackjack. The bill would allow voters in the tracks' communities to decide whether to allow expanded gaming.
"Why should the whole state make a decision about Jefferson County?" Moberly said, referring to the home of Churchill Downs.
One bill that has made headway would levy an excise tax on Internet wagering on horse races by Kentucky residents. The bill takes aim at the growing popularity of online and phone betting by imposing the tax on advance deposit wagering providers.
The measure has passed the House, and Williams said it's an issue that needs to be reviewed.
The tax would be equal to 0.5 percent of money wagered by Kentucky residents through ADW providers. Two-thirds of the revenue would be returned to Kentucky tracks, with half that amount devoted to boosting race purses in hopes of luring more horsemen to race in Kentucky.
Thayer said he supports the bill. It has been referred to the Senate State and Local Government Committee, which he chairs.
Williams did offer some hope.
"I do think that on some of these things that we could agree upon, we could generate some funds that could help the horse industry," Williams said.
___
The legislation to impose a tax on Internet wagering on horse races is House Bill 368. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Posted: 06 Mar 2010 04:23 AM PST As part of our countdown to the 2010 Cheltenham Festival, we are giving you the chance to chat live with Sky Bet horse racing compilers Richard Horner and Michael Shinners. You can get their views on all the Festival races as well as requesting any special bets that are not currently available. This can be done in advance of the live chat too by emailing requestabet@skybet.com The chat will be live at 1130 GMT on Monday. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Yahoo! News Search Results for horse racing To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 comments:
Post a Comment