Gov. Andy Beshear has vetoed a bill that would have reorganized and corporatized the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. The bill now goes back to the legislature, which rushed the bill through to passage late last month.
The bill wanted to establish the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation and abolish the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. The measure would also require appointments to the commission to be put forth by Beshear but approved by the Senate.
“Senate Bill 299 is an unnecessary and unworkable bill, and its unintended consequences would tremendously affect horse racing, sports wagering and charitable gaming industries and the ability of people to serve on the newly-created corporation,” Beshear wrote in his veto letter.
The bill now returns to the legislature, where it will need to pass through both chambers again to be overridden. Last legislative session, the Republican-controlled House and Senate overrode all 15 bills that Beshear vetoed.
Beshear said there was no reason to separate the Public Protection Cabinet from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. He lauded the PPC’s efforts to expedite the launch of sports betting in the Commonwealth months after its passage in Frankfort.
Beshear also noted that $34 million had been wagered on the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, where the University of Kentucky made a surprising first-round exit. He also noted more than $17 million wagered on the Super Bowl.
While Beshear referenced these numbers from February and March in his letter, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has yet to release a revenue report on sports betting for any month of 2024 so far.
Beshear did veto SB 299 but he was not entirely opposed to reorganizing the KHRC. In March he signed HB 281, a bill that establishes a dedicated division of sports betting within the commission.
