A sweeping bill introduced Tuesday would create a new standalone government corporation to handle almost all Kentucky gambling and horse racing.
The 281-page bill would set up the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corp. to regulate all parimutuel wagering, including historical horse racing machines, as well as sports wagering and charitable gaming. The corporation would replace the existing Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and the Department of Charitable Gaming, both of which are currently under the umbrella of the Public Protection Cabinet.
The language was inserted into a “shell bill” filed earlier in the legislative session and replaces an amendment pushed through the Senate earlier this month by Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer that would have attached the racing commission to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. That change appears dead.
