It had been hoped that 2010 would be a year when there would at least be a breather from the gambling industry's incessant push to expand gambling in Kentucky. Unfortunately, now that the initial work on the budget is being completed and legislators are well passed the filing deadline for this November's elections, proposals to allow "electronic games of skill" at the state's racetracks are now surfacing.
These proposals are yet another smokescreen to allow the gambling industry to begin vacuuming money out of the pockets of Kentucky citizens and should be seen as such. There's very little difference between the machines being proposed and slot machines that the racetracks really want except for the fact that the user has to actually play a game to lose their money rather than simply pushing a button. This forces gamblers to lose more slowly, which is why they are not seen to be as lucrative as regular slot machines. They are still very dangerous for Kentucky's citizens and economy, however.
And how long would it be once these machines are approved before the big gambling corporations would be asking for more? The one sure bet is that they will never be satisfied.
Here's coverage about the latest proposal in the General Assembly from
The Courier-Journal in Louisville:
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A second bill to allow so-called “electronic games of skill” at racetracks was filed Thursday, but the debate over expanded gambling appeared no closer to resolution.
Democratic Floor Leader Ed Worley of Richmond estimated that his Senate Bill 224 would provide $34.8 million for purses at tracks in 2011-12.
The bill is almost the same as House Bill 601, filed earlier this week by Rep. Harry Moberly, D-Richmond.
Kentucky’s horse industry leaders have argued that they need expanded gambling to level the playing field with states that use casino proceeds to boost purses and breeding incentives.
Industry officials have said they’re willing to consider the skill games proposal, which Worley and others say is not as lucrative as the traditional slot machines in some neighboring states’ casinos.
“The only thing that I’m thinking about is what (would be) some resolution to the dilemma that our horse industry finds itself in,” said Worley, who indicated that the industry supports the concept.
“You can ask anybody that has read it in the industry and I think they would tell you that, absent of slots or casinos, this is a viable option,” he said.
Patrick Neely, executive director of the pro-slots Kentucky Equine Education Project, stopped short of a full endorsement.
“Electronic games of skill … have produced positive results in Arkansas, and we are supportive of current efforts to provide relief from the overwhelming competitive advantages our neighboring states enjoy,” he said.
The plan in the two is similar to the gambling parlor at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. There, electronic games like video blackjack are in place, along with Instant Racing, a device that resembles a slot machine but uses previously run races to determine winners in a pari-mutuel format.
Meanwhile, Sen. Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, said he will offer a plan to help the horse industry by altering currently filed bills — Thursday was the deadline for new Senate bills. But he declined to provide specifics.
Click here to read the full story on the Web site of The Courier-Journal.
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posted by: Site Administrator on March 6th, 2010
A bill that would require abortionists to allow a woman seeking an abortion to see an ultrasound of her developing baby before going through the procedure is expected to have a hearing before the House Health and Welfare Committee on Thursday, Feb. 25. The hearing will be most likely held in Room 169 at 12 p.m.
Senate Bill 38 passed its Senate committee on Jan. 14 and was approved by the full Senate with an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 32-4 but bills similar to this one have died in House committee meetings such as this one.
Citizens interested in having their voices heard are encouraged to attend the hearing. It will be helpful to fill the room to standing room only to show the committee that Kentuckians believe that fully informing women about the risks and alternatives to abortion, along with showing women considering an abortion the ultrasound of their unborn baby helps protect women and children.
If you cannot attend, please call the General Assembly's legislative message line at
1-800-372-7181 toll free and ask to leave a message with your House representative and the members of the House Health and Welfare Committee. You do not have to talk to a legislator and the receptionist will help you if you do not know who your representative is. Your message can be as simple as "Pass SB 38, the ultrasound bill."
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posted by: Site Administrator on February 24th, 2010
Citizens are urged to call their legislators in Frankfort in an effort to forestall a backroom decision to kill a bill that would require abortionists to allow a woman seeking an abortion to see an ultrasound of her developing baby before going through the procedure. Senate Bill 38 passed its Senate committee on Jan. 14 and was approved by the full Senate with an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 32-4 last week.
The bill must now be assigned to a House committee for consideration but rumors persist that House leadership intends to kill the bill by sending it to a committee with a chairman that favors abortion. Similar legislation has been derailed in the same way for the past two years.
Citizens interested in having their voices heard on this issue should call the General Assembly's legislative message line at
1-800-372-7181 toll free. Just leave a message with the receptionist. You do not have to talk to a legislator and the receptionist will help you if you do not know who your representative is. Your message can be as simple as "Pass SB 38, the ultrasound bill."
A rally to support the ultrasound bill brought an enthusiastic crowd to the state capitol building rotunda Wednesday.
Here's the story from The Courier-Journal of Louisville:
FRANKFORT, Ky. — An enthusiastic crowd filled the Capitol Rotunda Wednesday to show opposition to abortion and support for a bill that would require women seeking the procedure to undergo an ultrasound.
“Senate Bill 38 is a very important bill,’’ said Sen. Elizabeth Tori, R-Radcliff, the bill’s sponsor.
She urged those at the Kentucky Right Life Rally to call lawmakers in support of the measure, which also would require a woman seeking an abortion to meet with a health professional 24 hours beforehand for counseling.
“It has a long way to go yet,’’ Tori said of the bill, which passed the Senate Jan. 25 and is pending in the House Health and Welfare Committee, where a similar bill died last year on a tie vote.
Click here to read the full story.
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posted by: Site Administrator on February 3rd, 2010
Don Cole, director of the Kentucky Ethics League, has reported on recent news to expand the availability of alcohol in Kentucky.
- Leitchfield (Grayson County)-- Voters will be casting ballots on allowing on alcohol by the drink in restaurants that seat 100 or more on March 23. Please be in prayer for the citizens of Leitchfield, KY which is located in Grayson County. Citizens opposed to the measure have organized with 66 attending a recent meeting at Clearview Baptist Church. The Kentucky Ethics League is working with these citizens on the issue.
- Trigg County -- A judge has ruled that dry forces in precincts that voted dry in a recent election to make the county wet can petition for precinct elections in those precincts.
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posted by: Site administrator on February 3rd, 2010
Here's and interesting story from the Tulsa World newspaper documenting how the number of problem gamblers grows with the number of casinos.
Rebecca is a mother of three and a practicing licensed professional counselor.
She also is one of a growing number of Tulsans whose lives have been disrupted by an uncontrollable compulsion to gamble.
Until five years ago, Rebecca had never gambled and had no interest in it.
In June 2004, after a series of personal crises that included the loss of a job and a grandparent, she began to go to the Cherokee Casino to play gaming machines on her lunch hour.
"It seemed harmless enough," she said, "a time to unwind and escape."
Within a month, she found herself gambling away money that she needed for rent.
"It really got ahold of me hard and fast," she said. "I call it a roller coaster to hell."
Over a 10-day period in August of that year, she wrote 10 checks for amounts from $100 to $2,500.
"I went off the deep end," she said. "It was completely irrational. I told myself, 'I'll win the money to cover the checks.' "
But she didn't, and she found herself borrowing money, pawning her goods and in court paying fines for writing bad checks.
Rebecca eventually went to Gamblers Anonymous and got her life back on track.
Other problem gamblers have not. Some are in prison for embezzlement, some have committed suicide and others have lost everything.
A form of Las Vegas-style (Class III) Indian gaming was legalized in Oklahoma five years ago. Before that, tribes offered Class II gaming. The state now has more than 100 casinos. Three of the largest are in the Tulsa area. Only California has higher Indian gaming revenues than Oklahoma.
And as the number of casinos has increased, so has the number of problem gamblers.
Click here to read the full Tulsa World article.
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posted by: Site Administrator on February 3rd, 2010