Politics
Kentucky Slots Digest
A roundup of recent news and opinion on expanded gaming in Kentucky:
- No proof, but certainty: State senator Alice Forgy Kerr, who opposed slots legislation, believes retaliation is a factor in her nephew leaving his job as general counsel to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. "Any person who can figure out two plus two can figure this out."
- Know your friends, writes Ray Paulick.
- Owner Ken Ramsey, considering culling his broodmare band and already shipping horses to run at racetracks with slots-fueled purses, aptly notes, "I think a mature industry like the horse industry should be able to support itself," and offers several alternatives to expanded gaming, including reduced taxes and takeout, to provide additional revenue to bolster Kentucky's signature industry.
- Beyond slots: State senator Damon Thayer, disparaged by expanded gaming advocates for his perceived inaction during the slots debates, discusses the state of the horse industry and mentions alternate initiatives during a floor speech made last week (video to the right).
- In an editorial in Thoroughbred Daily News, breeder Arthur Hancock prescribes eliminating the cheats and breeding fewer horses as solutions to the industry's decline. "[R]acetracks, KEEP, and other elements are trying to convince horsemen and Kentuckians alike that it is 'slots or die.' Don't buy this. Slots are a short-term gain and a long-term drain."
- Jennie Rees share an email exchange with a former horse owner tentatively considering getting back into the business, "but with the likely breakdown of the Kentucky circuit ..."
- Ellis Park opens on July 11 for what could be its final meet. Owner Ron Geary, who previously said he would close the track if slots legislation failed, said on Wednesday that there's a longshot possibility racing at the Pea Patch will return in 2010. "I can't imagine any developments that will allow us to remain open," Geary told press assembled for media day at Ellis, "but on the other hand, miracles do happen."
- The competition: A riverboat casino with decks wider than an aircraft carrier, 3200 slots machines, and room for 9000 people opens in Indiana, 90 minutes from Louisville.
- What if slots did come to Kentucky? Money for purses and breeding, yes, but of a precarious percentage. In states with expanded gambling, "racing's share is getting a closer look."
Posted by R360 Editor / Jul 2, 2009 @ 6:30 PM / Politics / Tags: Damon Thayer, Ellis Park, Instant Racing, Ken Ramsey, Kentucky, Owners, Racinos, Ron Geary, Slots, State Politics /
