Get A Grip: The Week In Sports Betting: KY Bill Pre-Filed

In Kentucky, Adam Koenig's bill allows for state-wide mobile with in-person registration and a sliding tax scale

It’s information overload everywhere, and there’s not time enough to sleep and eat and stay fully apprised of what’s happening on this crazy blue dot of ours (two out of three ain’t bad).

Here’s the weekend Sports Handle item, “Get a Grip,” recapping the week’s top stories and rounding up key stories in sports betting, gaming, and the world of sports at large. You may have missed them, and they are worth reading.

Kentucky bill pre-filed

On Thursday, Representative Adam Koenig who has twice tried to get sports betting through the Kentucky General Assembly pre-filed a bill ahead of the 2020 session. The bill allows for mobile sports betting with in-person registration required. The bill also:

Allows for sports betting to be conducted at horse race tracks and some professional sports venues;
Names the 15-member Kentucky Horse Racing Commission as the regulator;
Prohibits betting on collegiate events in which a Kentucky college is participating;
Allows for in-play wagering;
Calls for a $500,000 application fee and $50,000 renewal fee;
Taxes sports betting at professional venues and race tracks at 9.75 percent and mobile platforms at 14.25 percent. In addition, a 0.5 percent tax would be levied on gross gaming revenue and earmarked for several horse-racing funds.

“For me, it’s about something that grown adults do on a regular basis and the vast majority of them would like to do it legally,” Koenig told the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Koenig is likely hopeful that he has an ally in new Governor Andy Beshear, who ran on a pro-gaming expansion platform.

“We need to pass expanded gaming in Kentucky. We lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars a year,” Beshear said in a statement. “We need to legalize sports betting, casinos, fantasy sports and prepare for online poker, and use the revenue from these activities as a dedicated funding stream for our public pension system, which will free up that money for other things we need to be investing in. I look forward to talking with Rep. Koenig on his proposed bill and working together.”

Colorado getting to work on rules; applications available

Colorado’s Division of Gaming will have five meetings next week as it begins hammering out regulations for sports betting, which was legalized via voter referendum in November. Five working groups will meet between Dec. 9-11 convening for sessions on general rules, compliance, technology, integrity and information and responsible gaming. Colorado’s new law allows for mobile and retail sports betting and calls for wagering to be live by May 1, 2020.

The Colorado Limited Gaming Commission already approved emergency rules, and on Nov. 21, Division of Gaming Director Dan Hartman requested the commission to approve a master licensing fee of $2,000 and mobile, retail operator and vendor licensing fees of $1,200. The Department of Revenue posted the sports betting application on its website on Nov. 25.

In the wider world of sports

CAM KAPUT? Has Cam Newton played his last game for the Panthers? [SBNation]

BEER DIET: Detroit C Andre Drummond drank a beer a day to help slim down. [WSJ]

Army’s uniform drop video for their game against Navy is so good it’ll give you chills @ZeroBlog30

pic.twitter.com/dDOURQskOr

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) December 6, 2019

BYE, BYE ‘BAMA: For first time since its inception, CFP won’t include Alabama. [NYT]

COHEN TO THE RESCUE? Hedge fund titan in talks to buy majority stake in the Mets. [Bloomberg]

45 YEARS AND COUNTING: This coach has been part of the LSU program since the ’70s. [SI]

Refs arguably blow two calls in the Cowboys’ favor on one play, missing a facemask that wasn’t called despite Anthony Miller’s head being turned and calling an iffy block in the back on Bears WR Javon Wims #DALvsCHI pic.twitter.com/AEpWx4tDhm

— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) December 6, 2019

With the Cowboys spiraling out of control, the Redskins are still mathematically alive to win the NFC East. Dallas dropped its third straight on Thursday night in a 31-24 loss to Chicago. If the Cowboys and Eagles finish the season at 6-9-1, the Redskins will win the East with a 7-9 record. Just a few weeks ago, the Redskins were five games behind the Cowboys at 1-9.

Odds To Win The NFC East🏈

-Cowboys: -115
-Eagles: -105
-Redskins: +25000pic.twitter.com/3yN1GQsuHX

— PointsBet Sportsbook (@PointsBetUSA) December 6, 2019