LEXINGTON, KY — The Family Foundation said today that the slots bill being filed today is an “Alice in Wonderland” approach to a serious issue. The bill will completely ignore the recent Kentucky Supreme Court ruling and simply define pari-mutuel wagering as something that it is not, said Martin Cothran, spokesman for the group.
“Instead of trying to change these machines to comply with the law, this bill changes the law to comply with the machines. It’s a joke,” said Cothran.
The bill, he said, which purports to legalize so-called “historical horse racing” machines, does not address the recent Court decision, but rather ignores it. “The Court set forth the criteria for what pari-mutuel wagering is. The supporters of the bill, rather than seriously addressing the Court’s definition of what parimutuel wagering is, a definition which is based on a century of law and almost universal agreement across the country, are simply telling the Court, ‘No it’s not’ and going on their merry way.”
“This isn’t even a serious bill. In fact it could make Kentucky – “The Horse Capital of the World” – a laughing stock around the country among people who know this issue.”
“Think of how this approach could work on other issues. We could get rid of crime by simply redefining what crime is. And, we could solve environmental problems by changing a few words in the law. This bill legalizes what are essentially horse-themed slot machines. It’s a slots bill.”
“The only way to do this right is to amend the Constitution, but slot machine advocates don’t have the votes to do that,” said Cothran. “This bill is just an excuse not to have to amend the Constitution, which is the only legitimate way to make these machines legal.”
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