The Pressbox<\/em><\/a> blog on thoroughbred racing, reported that Stivers had a conversation with Joe Craft, a powerful Kentucky businessman whose wife is currently running for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in next month\u2019s primary, and that talk led to the sports betting bill\u2019s passage.<\/p>\nThrough a spokesperson, Stivers issued a statement to Casino.org<\/em> refuting that claim.<\/p>\n\u201cThe sports wagering bill \u2013 and the bourbon barrel tax bill \u2013 that passed during the 2023 General Assembly were the result of leadership in both chambers working together,\u201d <\/strong>he said. \u201cJoe Craft had no influence on this legislation, nor did he attempt to influence the process or me.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nMeredith said that if anyone had any influence on Stivers, it would have been House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, who Meredith said has always been a major backer of the legislation.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThere had been some positive conversations some folks had had with President Stivers along the way\u2026 Everybody made Stivers out to be the bad guy in this issue for so long,\u201d <\/strong>Meredith said.\u201cI don’t know that President Stivers ever came to a position of just saying flat, I\u2019m a no. He just felt like it wasn\u2019t a big-ticket item.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\nThat\u2019s why it didn’t shock Meredith to see Stivers vote yes.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had always left an opening to be for the bill, and ultimately, I think he recognized that we were extremely close and the issue wasn’t going to go away,\u201d Meredith said. \u201cSo, why not just take care of it now and move on to other things?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kentucky Gaming Movement Done for Now?<\/h2>\n With sports betting finally a reality in Kentucky, Thayer believes that has settled gaming issues in the state for now. However, there have been some lawmakers and even Beshear himself who have discussed the possibility of casino gambling coming to Kentucky.<\/p>\n
I would discourage anyone from talking about any more gaming bills for now,\u201d <\/strong>he said. \u201cThe focus now needs to be on the launch of sports betting and the elimination of the gray machines across Kentucky.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nEarlier in the session, lawmakers passed a bill that Beshear signed into law that bans the so-called gray machines<\/a>, also known as skill games. However, game manufacturers and several businesses that host such machines have filed a lawsuit to stop the law from taking effect at the end of June.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After the Kentucky General Assembly ended its 2023 session on March 30, proponents for the sports betting legalization bill that passed gathered for a celebration at Serafini, an Italian restaurant in Downtown Frankfort. It was a bipartisan celebration, said state Rep. Michael Meredith, R-Oakland. Meredith was the primary sponsor of House Bill 551, the bill […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":268444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[61,1074],"tags":[82033,80968],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Thayer: Kentucky Sports Betting's Passage Due to Stivers' Vote<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n