While we’re hesitant to celebrate a complete victory in this session of the Kentucky General Assembly, it appears that casino gambling proposals are dead in the legislature for the time being. Although a bill pertaining to a constitutional referendum on the question passed in a sham vote by the House Licensing and Occupations Committee last week, House Speaker Jody Richards will likely and rightly reassign it to the committee where it should have originated in the first place. The House committee on Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs exists for the express purpose of considering constitutional amendment proposals. Its membership includes a majority of members on record as being opposed to expanded gambling and casinos in Kentucky.

Speaker Richards has no apparent interest in allowing the issue to move forward this session because of his personal opposition to casinos. Even if he wasn’t opposed, the Speaker recognized early on that the measure has no where near the 60 votes it would need for passage in the House. He also heard loudly and clearly the message from Senate President David Williams that the measure would be DOA in the state Senate, and the Speaker has no interest in his caucus members voting on the issue when all of them are up for election this year.

Harrah’s/Turfway President Bob Elliston served notice last week that casino supporters will be back in the 2007 session and the 2008 session, something that we’ve known for quite some time. The potential profits for gambling companies like Harrah’s and Churchill Downs are too great for them to go down without a long, prolonged battle. Casino proponents’ future strategies will include trying to use their wealth to influence the outcome of legislative elections in 2006 and the race for the Governor’s Office in 2007. Blood Horse editor-in-chief Ray Paulick clearly outlined those plans in a recent editorial (3/14/2006) intended to threaten and intimidate all public officials who stand opposed to casinos in Kentucky.

As we will see in the coming months, that’s Democracy, Casino Style: buy political influence; intimidate, threaten and stifle opposition; and, take people’s money. It’s all part of a canned approach long utilized throughout the country by casino advocates, an approach that would make Tony Soprano proud. They underestimate our resolve though. They’re only fighting for money, while we’re fighting for the kind of state in which our children will live and start their own businesses someday.

Say No To Casinos will continue to build the base of its campaign, and we will continue to share the data from the growing body of research on this issue. Since the casino explosion of the early 1990’s, numerous studies on the business and economic impact of casinos document them as the predatory form of business they clearly are. The negative impact on businesses and local economies where they have been legalized is undeniable. We will continue to share this message throughout the Commonwealth until casino proponents do in fact finally go away with the realization that Kentucky is not open for their form of business.

In a stunning display, a House committee chairman took a vote today on a bill to allow casinos in Kentucky in a committee with no apparent jurisdicion on the issue and denied the opportunity for several Kentucky citizens to speak in opposition to it. The bill which authorizes a constitutional referendum passed the Licensing and Occupations Committee 12 - 6, rather than the Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Governmental Affairs, where all other referendum legislation has been heard, and where a majority of members are on record as being opposed to expanded gambling. Committee Chairman Denver Butler, a retiring Louisville Democrat, railroaded the bill through committee, denying even committee members the chance to speak against it. Citizens who drove to Frankfort to express their opposition were denied the chance to speak as well. So much for free and open debate. This is one Democrat who thinks House Democrats should be ashamed of such obscene legislative manipulation and shenanigans.

It appears that the threat issued to House Democrats by KEEP Chairman Brereton Jones, when he told the Lexington Herald Leader several days ago that if the legislation doesn’t pass, Democrats won’t be getting campaign contributions from the deep pockets of casino supporters, had the effect on some members the former Governor desired. House Democrats on the Committee might get campaign contributions for their support, but they’ll likely lose votes in the fall. Thankfully, House Speaker Jody Richards and Majority Caucus Chairman Bob Damron will likely reassign the bill to its appropriate committee and not allow it to see the light of day.

The ironically but good news is that Butler showed the state “Democracy - Casino Style:” Buy influence and stifle opposition.