• About Us / Contact
  • Responsible Gambling
This site contains commercial content
SportsHandle
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
    • North Carolina
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News
No Result
View All Result
SportsHandle
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
    • North Carolina
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News
No Result
View All Result
SportsHandle
No Result
View All Result

Sports Betting Bill Dies In Committee On Final Day Of Kentucky Legislative Session

HB 606 cleared the House on March 18, but it never made it to a Senate floor vote

Jeremy Balan by Jeremy Balan
April 14, 2022
in Legislation
Kentucky statehouse

Shutterstock

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

When asked Thursday morning to gauge the likelihood that the bill to legalize sports betting in Kentucky would pass the state Senate on the final day of the 2022 legislative session, the bill’s sponsor responded with his tongue firmly in his cheek.

β€œIt still has a shot. Might be plus-300 at this point,” said Republican Rep. Adam Koenig, using gambling language to send a not-so-subtle message to opponents at about noon ET Thursday.

By 3 p.m., though, he moved the bill’s hypothetical odds to +600. And by 5:30 p.m, it was a deep longshot at +1500.

Now it’s off the board for this year.

Although the issue of legal sports betting advanced further than ever before in Kentucky β€” passing the House and getting at least some discussion in the Senate β€” the effort officially died in the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Tourism, and Labor despite multiple attempts to negotiate it onto the chamber floor for a vote. The bill would have legalized statewide digital and retail sports betting, in addition to online poker and daily fantasy sports.

HB 606 passed the House, 58-30, on March 18, and Senate Floor Majority Leader Damon Thayer moved it to what he considered a more favorable committee Wednesday β€œto give it a chance” on the final day of the legislative session. Thayer also said Wednesday that the bill would not move to the floor unless it had the votes to pass.

But before the Senate broke for lunch Thursday, it became increasingly apparent that HB 606 would not succeed in the Senate. Thayer expressed frustration with the status of the bill during and after a meeting with reporters on the floor.

β€œI just told them I’m tired of being the spokesman for the people who don’t support it. I support the sports betting bill,” Thayer said in a telephone interview with Sports Handle during the break. Earlier, he told reporters that he felt sports betting was a β€œnatural extension of our history and tradition of betting on horses in Kentucky.”

We spoke with Sen. Thayer around the same time as Gov. Beshear spoke and he said he was frustrated over not getting sports betting through yet. pic.twitter.com/4Rvk2i4p4u

— Joe Ragusa (@JoeRagusa) April 14, 2022

Just past 8:30 p.m., however, Thayer took to the Senate floor describing the General Assembly’s accomplishments from the legislative session, then pivoted to the bills that “didn’t make it.” He spoke about the sports betting bill in the past tense.

“I’m personally disappointed that we were unable to pass sports betting. … We just don’t have the votes,” Thayer said. “I think that will change by next year. I will continue to advocate for us adding this to our betting menu. … I think we should allow the people of Kentucky to make a choice of their own free will, like all of our surrounding states do, to be able to make a legal wager on sports.”

Not enough votes?

Outside observers have suggested that the bill had sufficient overall votes for passage, but that Senate leaders wouldn’t bring it to a floor vote because it lacked support from a majority of the chamber’s Republicans. Thayer dismissed that claim.

38 state Senators in Kentucky

20 votes would pass sports gambling

8 Democrats in the Senate…all would vote yes

That means that 12 Republicans should be enough

14 Republicans are for it

GOP leaders require β€œmajority of GOP” or no vote

So it won’t pass, even with 22 yes

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) April 14, 2022

 

β€œThat’s what some people like to say, but right now, it wouldn’t have enough to pass, even if all the Democrats voted for it,” Thayer maintained Thursday afternoon during a break.

Senate President Robert Stivers also told the Louisville Courier JournalΒ after the session that the sports betting bill was several votes short of majority support in the Senate. The Kentucky Senate has 30 Republicans and eight Democrats, and Gov. Andy Beshear has supported the idea of sports betting in Kentucky. Koenig struggled with getting enough Republican support in the House last session, when a similar bill died.

Earlier, Beshear had specifically called out Thayer during a news conference.

β€œMy thought is, if Damon Thayer wanted sports betting to pass, he’d get it passed,” the governor said. β€œIt’s time. The people of Kentucky absolutely want this.”

Thayer responded by calling Beshear β€œout of touch” and β€œhyperpartisan,” among other things.

.@GovAndyBeshear again plays politics and shows a total lack of understanding on how the legislature works. Blaming me proves he’s totally irrelevant, out of touch & hyperpartisan.

I support #sportsbetting but I can’t make people vote yes if they are opposed. https://t.co/XjGNYUqmP1

— damon thayer (@damon_thayer) April 14, 2022

The Senate majority leadership never did call a floor vote on the bill, which meant senators were not put on record as to where they stand on sports betting.

β€œIn the last week, a lot of the undecideds went to no votes,” Thayer said. “We don’t waste our time voting on bills that don’t have the votes to pass. Time is a precious commodity. We’re not like the U.S. Congress or legislatures in other states that meet year-round. We have 60 days every other year. That’s it.”

Bill had implications with ‘gray’ machines ban

The main political ramification of the sports betting bill not getting to a Senate vote was that the House refused to accept the Senate’s changes, through concurrence, to another bill (HB 608) that intended to ban unregulated gambling terminals called β€œgray machines.” Also referred to as β€œskill games,” the gambling devices are located in places like truck stops, convenience stores, and bars.

That bill won approval in the House, 50-31, on March 18. On Wednesday, it passed the Senate, 24-13, but with an amendment that would need to be approved by the House before it could gain full passage.

In the late afternoon Thursday, Koenig said that without the sports betting bill, the Senate change to HB 608 “doesn’t have the votes in the House, and it’s not even close.”

That sentiment was also expressed by Speaker of the House David Osborne, who told local station Spectrum News 1 that β€œwithout the passage of sports betting, it makes it next to impossible for us to concur with the changes they made to the gray machine bill.”

"Obviously, a lot of things will change in the next 11 hours; that's what happens on the last night of session," House Speaker David Osborne just told me regarding sports betting.

He said changes made to HB 608, the "gray machines" bill, may be held up over the issue pic.twitter.com/EkxJhGJA8M

— Joe Ragusa (@JoeRagusa) April 14, 2022

Thayer even said he tried to make a “last-minute deal” to get the sports betting and gray games bills through, but his proposal did not get enough support.

The House approved and sent four gambling-related bills to the Senate during the legislative session, but only one made its way to the governor’s desk β€” a bill that would essentially eliminate breakage in parimutuel horse racing payouts and balance parimutuel taxes.

“There was really no opposition to it,” Koenig said of the breakage/parimutuel bill. “There was a lot in there for everybody. … I want to be there for the first day they pay to the penny, and I want a picture next to the toteboard for that first payout.”

A bill that would create a $50 million fund to tap for problem gaming programs also did not get committee approval for a Senate floor vote, to Koenig’s disappointment.

“If we don’t approve sports betting, we still have, from last year, $6 billion in parimutuel wagering, $1.5 billion in lottery, and god knows what in charitable gaming,” he said earlier in the week. “We need to fund [problem gaming programs].”

What’s next?

You can bet β€” well, maybe not β€” Koenig will sponsor another sports wagering bill in the 2023 legislative session. Although unsuccessful in 2022, he has long contended that he will outlast his opponents. He said Monday that “elections can change outlooks.” Although he was disappointed Thursday night, progress was made.

“For four years I’ve been working on it in the House, and I finally got it passed, and the Senate had it for four weeks,” Koenig said. “I’m frustrated, but it’s not a complete surprise, given they only had four weeks to focus on it.”

And will the next sports betting bill look different in 2023?

β€œWe’ll figure that out later,” Koenig said. “[The opposition is] not the details of the bill. It’s not about constitutionality. If it was a secret ballot, it would pass 28-10. It’s about willingness. … It’s postponing the inevitable. It’s going to happen soon. I wish it was today, but it wasn’t.

β€œHere’s how we go forward. You gotta show up and vote, find out where the candidates are on this issue, and express how you feel about it. That’s how we change it.”

Thayer also had parting advice for advocates and citizens who support legalizing sports betting in Kentucky, who have been quite outspoken about the political process surrounding the bill.

β€œI support sports betting, but my god, the absolute offense that people take at this is the ultimate first-world problem,” Thayer said after the session. “Nobody’s life is getting worse because we didn’t pass sports betting. We pass bills on all kinds of serious issues, and I’m for sports betting, and I’m more energized than ever, but my god, people. Take a chill pill.

β€œMy only advice to the advocates for sports betting is to tell them that shaming their opponents on Twitter is not the way to get [sports betting] passed in Kentucky. There are swing voters who I think can be convinced, and I just think they should adopt a respectful tone and make their case in a respectful manner.”

Every elected republican in the state, @damon_thayer & @kysenatepres as much as any, should be humiliated for what they did to Kentucky tonight. Speak out.

For the foreseeable future Kentuckians will drive to EVERY bordering state to place their sports bet. Both are pathetic. https://t.co/BfQAMbTckk

— T.J. Walker (@TJWalkerRadio) April 15, 2022

 

 

ShareTweetShare
Jeremy Balan

Jeremy Balan

Jeremy Balan has been a journalist, editor, and sports writer since 2007. After years covering prep, college, and pro sports for online and print media, he focused on turf writing at BloodHorse from 2015-2019 and won an Eclipse Award for his coverage of the devastating fire at San Luis Rey Training Center. Contact Jeremy on Twitter (@jeremybalan) or through email at [email protected].

Related Posts

kansas-city-royals-clubhouse
Legislation

Missouri House Sends Legal Sports Betting Bill To Senate

March 22, 2023
kentucky-mens-basketball-players-celebrating
Legislation

Sports Betting Bill Passes Through Kentucky House Of Representatives

March 13, 2023
Load More

Top Stories

taylor mathis

Taylor Mathis Got Sacrificed At The Altar Of Responsible Gambling

March 20, 2023
fanduel baseball wall

Premade Same Game Parlays Are Sucker Bets

March 13, 2023
maginfier-over-small-print

Read The Fine Print: A Proposed Federal Rule Could Change Everything For Indian Gaming

March 6, 2023
roman reigns wwe

Colorado Denies Report Stating That It’s Considering WWE Wagering

March 8, 2023

State Sports Betting Guides

Ohio (U.S. state) flag waving against clear blue sky, close up, isolated with clipping path mask alpha channel transparency, perfect for film, news, composition

Ohio Sports Betting – Where To Play, Bonus Offers And Promo Codes

by Brian Pempus
March 27, 2023

Downtown Detroit at twilight (Shutterstock)

Michigan Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks, And FAQ

by Brett Smiley
March 27, 2023

VA captial

Virginia Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks And Bonus Offers

by Brett Smiley
January 17, 2023

nj flag

New Jersey Sports Betting — Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks, And FAQ

by Brett Smiley
March 22, 2023

pa online sportsbooks

Pennsylvania Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks And Bonuses

by Brett Smiley
October 6, 2022

Canada Sports Betting Guides

Canada Sports Betting – Best Sportsbook Apps & Bonus Offers

British Columbia Sports Betting – Legal Update, Available Sportsbooks, and FAQ

Ontario Sports Betting – Legal Status And Where To Play

SportsHandle

  • Analysis
  • Casino
  • Features
  • Horse Racing
  • Industry
  • Legal
  • Legislation
  • Opinion
  • Podcasts
  • Poker
  • Politics
  • Promotions
  • Regulation
  • Sports
  • Uncategorized

Better Collective

This website is owned and operated by Better Collective USA. Trademarks and copyrights referenced on this website are and shall remain the exclusive property of their respective owners and/or licensors. Please be sure to visit the operator’s website(s) to review their terms & conditions. We advise you to read these carefully as they contain important information. Copyright Β© 2023 USBets.com | Better Collective USA
21 Play Responsibly
Gamble Aware West Virginia
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
GameSense

Search Sports Handle

No Result
View All Result
  • About Us / Contact
  • Responsible Gambling

No Result
View All Result
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
    • North Carolina
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News

loading

Please wait while you are redirected to the right page...