A bill that would have legalized online poker in Kentucky in addition to other forms of gambling has died in a state Senate committee after failing to be brought up for a committee vote on Thursday, the final day for new measures to be considered.
Kentucky House Bill 606 expired without action in the Kentucky Senate's Committee on Economic Development, Tourism, & Labor. Besides online poker and sports betting, the bill also would have legalized daily fantasy sports. The bill had been favored over a somewhat parallel Senate measure, SB 213, which had been introduced by State Senator David Yates (R).
HB 606 was introduced by Louisville-based State Representative Adam Koenig (R) in late February. On March 18, HB 606 passed a full House vote by a 58-30 margin. The bill moved through two other Senate committees before landing in Economic Development, Tourism, & Labor, where it failed to garner significant support while becoming mired in an end-of-session crush of bills up for consideration.
Related bills also falter
Two related bills also expired without even reaching the floor of the Kentucky Senate for a full discussion or vote. HB 609 was a problem-gambling measure that would have been funded with $50 million, to have been taken from the $300 million Kentucky received in a settlement with PokerStars for Stars' activity in the state from 2006-2011. The other bill, HB 610, was a technical measure providing added definitions and additional regulatory framework for the gambling forms that would have been authorized under HB 606.
