LUCAS: Will Kentucky find it's 20 years behind, again?

John Lucas

Humorist Mark Twain is credited with quipping that he wanted to be in Kentucky when the end of the world came because everything there happens 20 years after it happens anywhere else.

I can't attest that he actually said that, but it does demonstrate another fine old saying that the more things change the more they stay the same.

It appears this year Kentucky is embarking on a plan to allow casino-style gambling. It comes just about 20 years after the gambling wave swept across the rest of the nation.

Kentucky legislators are crafting a ballot question to amend the state's constitution to allow for casinos in the Commonwealth, but as they say, the devil will be in the details. Kentucky legislators have a history of producing a blend of "sausage" that is often unpalatable.

But for 20 years, Kentuckians have visited casinos in Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, Nevada and other states to contribute tax revenue to the coffers of those states. Now, Kentucky lawmakers want to keep at least some of that money at home and, perhaps, lure some from other states. The continuing economic malaise and the state's dire budget situation probably assure that some kind of gambling question will go to the ballot this year

Major stumbling blocks the past several years: How many casinos to allow and where to put them.

The horse tracks have tried to claim first dibs, noting accurately enough that the state's signature horse industry has been hurting. Horsemen have been lured away by other states that already have gambling and use tax revenue from it to bolster racing purses.

And, certainly, we can get a warm-fuzzy for helping the horse industry because there's a lot more to it than the tracks, which have live racing only a few days a year. Horses have to be tended 365 days a year, meaning boarding, stable hands, trainers, groomsmen, riders, breeding programs, hay and grain purchases, trucks and farm equipment.

The issue has revolved around whether to put the casinos at the tracks or just give the tracks some of the revenue to allow them to stay competitive with those in other states. A lot of towns without horse tracks have indicated they, too, would like to have a casino.

The reason for that is shown by an advertisement by Evansville's Casino Aztar in this newspaper last week. It noted that over the past 15 years, it has contributed $191 million in tax revenue to the city.

Whether casinos can do the same for Kentucky remains to be seen. Pretty well all surrounding states except Tennessee have some form of legalized gambling beyond state-run lotteries.

My guess is we've waited 20 years too long to catch the wave.

—John Lucas

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Comments » 1

BookItBankIt writes:

I hope Kentucky acts as usuall. Non palatable sausage. Because if they smarten up, look how much revenue they will cost Evansville and many Indiana cities. Not only would they keep $$ at home they would generate $$ from Indiana customers like me who thinks Aztar act like and treat folks like you owe them the business. My guess is even many of the employees would leave.
