The Senate has passed House Bill 594, which will outlaw the unregulated and untaxed gaming machines known as “gray machines” in Kentucky. The bill passed in a 29-6 vote and now heads to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear's desk.
The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) released the following statement Tuesday.
“KEEP applauds the Kentucky General Assembly for the passage of HB 594, legislation that will ban illegal gray machines.
Getting this bill across the finish line was an incredible effort and KEEP is grateful to the legislators who supported the bill through the committee process and voted to pass the bill on the House and Senate floors.
KEEP would like to recognize the hard work of Representative Killian Timoney, who sponsored the bill. We would also like to recognize Speaker of the House David Osborne; House Speaker Pro Tempore David Meade; Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer; House Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations Committee Chairman Matt Koch; and Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee Chairman John Schickel for their work on this bill. The successful passage of this bill would not have been possible without their critical support.
KEEP, along with many other organizations, worked closely with legislators to ensure that they understood the negative impact of illegal gray machines on families, communities, and on Kentucky's legal forms of gaming.
KEEP will continue working on behalf of Kentucky's entire horse industry and community to advocate for policies that benefit everyone within the industry's economic ecosystem. Growing the success of the industry's more than 60,000 jobs and $6.5 billion economic impact on the state benefits all Kentuckians.”
For more, click here for 'Gray Machines Pose Major Threat to Kentucky's HHR, Horse Racing' from the Feb. 22 edition.
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