FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Watching football in Kentucky won’t ever be the same now that HB 551 has passed, been signed by Governor Andy Beshear, and received by Secretary of State, Michael Adams.
“We were not allowing an important business that every state around us was,” Governor Beshear said during a bill signing ceremony on Friday morning at the Capitol.
Gov. Beshear has long advocated for the legalization of sports wagering given the revenue stream it would generate for the state. His counterparts in Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia have been reaping the benefits, while Kentuckians had to cross the borders to place a legal wager.
He got his wish at around 6 p.m. Thursday night when state senators voted to approve the bill.
“After years of urging action, sports betting is finally going to be legal in Kentucky. We made it happen,” the governor added.
But in the background of this morning’s pomp and circumstance, there was one man who might’ve worked the hardest to make it happen. Former State Representative, Adam Koenig, spent many years fighting for this piece of legislation.
“It’s all good. I’m just glad to see it done,” he said of others finishing the work he started.
“People have been clamoring for this. It’s a lot of freedom. It’s giving people the opportunity to do something they want to do and to treat adults like adults,” Mr. Koenig said after the bill was signed into law.
Governor Beshear said it’ll be up to Attorney General Daniel Cameron to decide when the law will take effect, but he is confident that will happen before the start of the next football season. The state’s horse racing commission will be handling all of the regulatory matters and other issues surrounding legalized sports betting.
“They know how to handle the money. They do all of the things that go along with gaming, know the regulations, have the staff, so it made a lot of sense,” Koenig said.
Mr. Beshear also expressed confidence in the racing association’s executive director, before saying he’s looking forward to placing the state’s first bet.
Long odds were defied when he signed this bill on Friday morning, so the governor’s first bet just might move the line in Las Vegas!
