NOTE: This is the secondly inward a series of pieces I’m writing stating my case for wherefore Bluegrass State needs to decriminalize sports betting. You canful read my number one patch here.

When the public debate over legalizing sports betting in the KY General Assembly picks upwards later this month, you may hear some people say they need to ensure it happen, but that now’s not the right hand time.

They testament say that Republicans, who hold both chambers inward the province legislature, ut not demand to helping hand Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, a legislative triumph in a year he’s seeking re-election.

Those people would be wrong. Here’s why.

Election Still Several Months Away

Let’s embark on inwards 2019. At that time, just now a year after the PASPA conclusion inward the US Supreme Court, then-Kentucky Attorney General Beshear was the Democratic nominee for governor and cladding then-Gov. Matt Bevin. It was a bitter election that was decided by just now 5,136 votes out of the to a greater extent than 1.4 zillion ballots cast.

A tonality flump in Beshear’s movement program was a call in for expanded gaming in the state. That ran heel counter to Bevin, a Republican River who wasn’t peculiarly well-liked inward his political party and who oftentimes radius against legalizing sports betting and casinos. While in that respect were a couplet of other issues, Beshear’s place on gaming did actuate some voters to proceed to the polls for him, so it was a pivotal number leading to his contract victory.

Would signing a sports betting greenback into practice of law allow Beshear to submit a triumph lap? Barring something unexpected, the resolve would live yes. But that victory lap covering would potential pass some vii months before the Nov election.

A lot tin pass politically inward seven months. Last year during that amount of time, we went from what was expected to live a Republican River romp in national elections to the Democrats winning the US Senate and nearly holding on to the US House.

Beshear would noneffervescent tout sports betting on the take the field trail. Still, its impact would live muted as voters, especially Republican voters, who picked Beshear foursome years ago because of his views on the case would need to happen another ground to ballot for him. Democrats and maybe Independents belike would rest with him, but Republicans, who puddle upwards the state’s largest political party, potential would gravitate rearward to their candidate – especially since it was a Republican River bulk inward the legislative assembly that passed the bill.

GOP Candidate Backing Gaming Isn’t a Sure Bet

And speaking of the Republican gubernatorial candidate, we don’t live who that is yet. We won’t until the May primary, which occurs some six weeks after the General Assembly session ends. That’s another understanding wherefore GOP lawmakers should weigh loss sports betting inwards this session.

There are 12 candidates inwards the Republican primary, but in all probability no more more than Little Joe or 5 who make viable shots of winning the nomination. However, in that location is no more runoff supply inwards the primary, which means the winning prospect could destination with maybe 30% of the vote.

A appraise last twelvemonth found that 58% of KY Republicans support sports betting. While that’s ripe news for supporters, that also substance there’s plenty opponent come out on that point that could coalesce around a candidate who touts socially conservative stances on issues same gaming and facilitate that candidate win the nomination.

I’ve covered Kentucky politics and government activity for to a greater extent than 20 years, and I’ve seen how often of an impact the Family Foundation of KY and its supporters tin can feature on races inwards Kentucky.

In 2015, I was inward Morehead cover Rowan County Clerk Kim Stuart Davis and her refusal to go forth wedlock licenses to same-sex couples. There were large and vocal demonstrations both for and against her, and the daylight the clerk’s business office finally began issuing licenses, I saw supporters of Dwight Filley Davis submit handfuls of elector enrolment cards. They said they planned to take up enrollment drives, and it was unity of the reasons why Bevin ended upward winning the governor’s race that year.

Beshear is a popular governor, but as I mentioned earlier, there’s ease a long time until the election, and whoever ends upward as the Republican candidate will make a substantive safari mount them upward and trying to get hold of some of the shine cancelled the current governor.

And also retrieve that Beshear scarcely won despite veneer an unpopular incumbent. His re-election is non a certainty. An anti-gaming candidate could allay win in November, and if sports betting does non piddle it through and through the legislative body this year, that will impact its chances of departure over the next iv years.

Passing sports betting in this session gets the topic away the tabularise and avoids that possibility.

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