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There are ample metaphors for the sports betting situation in Kentucky.
The Bluegrass State could soon be “surrounded” by sports betting, or it could be an island in an ocean of sports betting, or it could be the missing puzzle piece between the upper Midwest and the South — choose whichever you like.
But how do two of the most vocal proponents of sports betting in the Kentucky legislature feel about another border state — Ohio — being on the verge of legalization?
Not great.
“Sadly, I don’t know that it changes anything,” said Adam Koenig, a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, who has sponsored multiple bills to legalize sports betting in the state in recent years. “Opposition is not based upon proximity of other [sports betting] states. It’s based on other things. Some people think it’s evil and sinning. Some people think their constituents don’t want it. It’s fair to say voting ‘no’ on anything gambling is a safe vote, especially if you’re a Republican and have to face a Republican primary.”
Republicans have held control of the Senate in Kentucky since 2000 and control of the House since 2017, and 2022 is an election year.
But Koenig has no plans to stop. He intends to sponsor another sports betting bill during the Kentucky legislative session that will run Jan. 4-April 14. He has the support of state Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer, but it has to get out of the House first.
“If Representative Koenig can get his bill out of the House, I will push for its passage in the Senate, but if I had to make a prediction, it would be that we’ll be one of the last states to do it.” Thayer said. A motivated, organized opposition The support for sports betting in Kentucky from Koenig and Thayer is rooted in their desire to increase revenue for the state, and they see those dollars exiting every day, whether it is over the bridge from Louisville to Indiana or across the southern border into Tennessee. There are stories about a McDonald’s parking lot in Jamestown, Tenn., that is […]
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