Sports betting bill advances in Kentucky
A sports betting bill that would legalise sports betting in Kentucky has advanced a House committee with a unanimous vote.
US.- Kentucky wants to become the next state in the US to have legalised sports betting. This might be a possibility thanks to a House committee that advanced a sports betting bill with a unanimous vote this week.
The House Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations Committee voted 18-0 in favour of the bill that would bring US$22.5 million a year in taxes. The bill is now headed to the House.
Governor Andy Beshear has already said that he supports the bill, and even mentioned it during the State of the Commonwealth speech on Tuesday, a day before the vote took place.
While this isn’t the first attempt to legalise sports betting in Kentucky, this specific bill would allow betting on college sports teams, something that was previously excluded from any other bill.
The bill’s lead sponsor, Rep. Adam Koenig, said: “Obviously a lot of folks see the revenue potential and see the opportunity to allow individuals to do something legally that they are currently doing illegally.”
Koenig estimates that sports betting would generate US$22.5 million a year in new taxes, and even though that figure would not solve the state’s revenue gap, it would certainly be a step in the right direction.
