The vote in Ohio to allow casinos in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo may finally trigger action in

neighboring Kentucky.

Governor Steve Beshear has sounded an immediate call for concerted action to legalize slots at tracks, saying, “clearly, the time to act on expanded gaming is now. Ohio citizens are going to reap the benefits of thousands of new jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenues. Ohio’s decision reinforces the urgency to pass the video lottery terminal bill I proposed earlier this year.”

Breeder and Breeders’ Cup chairman Bill Farish said of Kentucky’s turndown of VLTs this year, “I think it’s continued bad news for the industry. I think it just heightens the pressure on our racing and breeding industry.”

The chief opponent of the idea, senate president David Williams, remains a stumbling block. Responding to a statement by senate minority leader Ed Worley saying there are enough votes to pass the measure now, Williams said defiantly, “they never had 20 votes, and they don’t have 20 votes now.”

(Harness Tracks of America)