Coalition calls for casino gaming in Kentucky
Kentucky Republican and Democratic lawmakers have formed a coalition and are pushing for casino gaming in the state.
US.- “Last July I visited three casinos – Indiana, Illinois, Ohio. I counted cars and forty-two percent were from Kentucky,” said Rep. Jerry Miller as a bipartisan coalition pushed for casino gambling to be authorised in the state. Kentucky lawmakers have urged the government to approve the segment in the state and use revenue to fund the ailing pension system.
According to Miller, the state loses millions of dollars yearly to other states as locals drive pass Kentucky state borders to gamble. That’s why the coalition is pushing House Bill 224, which would allow voters to determine whether casino gambling gets approved or not.
“Even the most optimistic, it’s going to take us 30 years to pay that off,” Miller said and added: “During that 30 years, I’d rather be using US$250 million a year for more schools, more teachers, more infrastructure.”
Sen. Morgan McGarvey also advanced that he plans to introduce a companion bill in the Senate: “This might actually be the most bipartisan thing we see in Frankfort all session. You have Republicans and Democrats from the House and the Senate, you have members of the Louisville Chamber of Commerce, the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, teachers, retired teachers, firefighters,” he highlighted.
