Urge the KY General Assembly to Oppose Gambling Expansion

UPDATE: HB 904 passed the House with a good amendment (HFA 2) that the sports betting industry opposes. However, the bill still contained the legalization of fixed-odds gambling.

Rep. Michael Meredith has introduced HB 904, which includes an expansion of gambling. Specifically, HB 904 would legalize fixed-odds wagering on horse races. Unlike pari-mutuel wagering, which puts bettors in competition with each other, fixed-odds wagering puts bettors against the House. This shift encourages gambling expansion and could be a catalyst to invite full scale casino gambling in Kentucky.

HB 904’s “legalization” of fixed-odds wagering is an unconstitutional expansion of gambling. It is well established that Section 226 of the Kentucky Constitution functions as a foundational legal prohibition against nearly all forms of gambling. There are only three forms of wagering allowed under our Constitution and the jurisprudence that has been issued interpreting it: pari-mutuel horse betting, charitable gaming, and the Kentucky State Lottery. Just because previous legislation has ignored and defied our Kentucky Constitution does not mean that this General Assembly should do so again. HB 904 also violates free market principles by expanding the power and monopoly of Churchill Downs and the racing industry as a whole.

Additionally, HB 904’s gambling expansion will lead to more gambling addiction and continued harm to Kentucky families. Gambling is as addictive as opioids, heroin, and cocaine and it carries the highest suicide rate of any addiction. In recent years, the Kentucky Council on Problem Gambling reported that up to 165,000 Kentucky adults reported gambling problems, with nearly 65,000 Kentucky adults having gambling addiction. With the “legalization” of sports betting in Kentucky in 2023, calls to Kentucky’s problem gambling hotline have already more than doubled.

If the General Assembly continues to go down the path of government-sponsored predatory gambling, Kentuckians will continue to pray the price. More gambling will only mean more destructive costs to families and communities across the Commonwealth. More addictions, more broken families, and more untold social costs.

Please urge your state legislators to oppose HB 904's gambling expansion by amending the bill to remove fixed-odds gambling.

Urge the KY General Assembly to Oppose Gambling Expansion!

Complete info below, then you can contact your State Sen. & Rep. on the next page!