Rep. Koenig Rubbishes Rumors of Kentucky Sports Betting Bill Rejection
![Rumors of Kentucky Bill Rejection](https://www.timesofcasino.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Rumors-of-Kentucky-Sports.jpg)
Even after two weeks since the bill to legally permit sports betting in Kentucky has been passed unequivocally in the state House committee, there has not been any breakthrough in the legislature. The bill is yet to be presented on the house floor to seek the next vote.
All this has managed to fuel a lot of rumors and theories on whether House Bill 137 is going to turn into law, does it have the required support from the legislators. Chief patron of this bill, Adam Koenig, quashed such rumors.
A representative of state Adam Koenig (R-Erlanger) in an interview stated that
The rumors of the death of HB 137 are greatly exaggerated. Today is day 18 of a 60-day session. There is plenty of time. This is a controversial issue, and it’s not unusual for such bills to move slowly as legislators consult their constituents.
Last year too, Koenig has lobbied for a similar bill. It had secured the votes of the committee but got booted out of the legislator due to a lack of required number of votes. Last year the criteria for passing a bill was tough; the state law mandated a 60-vote majority for a bill to pass. However, in this session, only a majority number of votes is required to push the bill to the floor of the state senate, as this is a budget year.
As per the bill that awaits support of the majority of the senators present in the house, state-run racetracks can offer their patrons both brick-and-mortar and online sportsbooks, allowing for offline as well as online betting. During the initial 18 months after the law is passed, people who want to take part in online sports betting need to first register themselves in-person at that particular track’s sportsbook. The law also seeks to legalize and regulate online poker and daily fantasy sports.
At present, the bill has the support of 38 members of the House; 9 more votes are required to move the bill to the next level.