Kentucky lawmakers might remain on the fence about legalizing sports betting, but their constituents are not.
A recent poll of Kentucky voters shows that 65% support allowing sports betting in the Commonwealth. Only 26% of voters oppose legalization.
Rep. Adam Koenig tells PlayKentucky that this overwhelming support should quell any fears from lawmakers over voting for sports betting prior to the November elections.
“It shows that legalizing sports betting is wildly popular,” Koenig said. “It shows my colleagues that more people are likely to vote for you if you vote for it than if you vote against it. In an election year, that’s good info to have that it won’t hurt you in the elections.”
Support rises even higher, to 74%, when voters hear the revenue will go toward funding state pensions.
Kentucky racetracks fund poll
The poll was commissioned by KY Sports Betting Now, an organization started in 2020 to back Rep. Koenig’s bill. A spokesman for the organization says it is supported by groups and businesses that want sports betting legislation passed in Kentucky, including Kentucky’s horse racing tracks.
The poll was conducted by Republican pollster Robert Blizzard of Public Opinion Strategies. He led the statewide survey of 500 registered voters conducted on Feb. 5 to 7.
Poll targets Republican lawmakers
It’s key to the Kentucky efforts that Blizzard is a Republican pollster.
He has worked for the campaign committees of the Senate and House Republican Caucus, the Republican Party of Kentucky and numerous GOP campaigns.
Koenig said in 2020 that his bill had the support to pass in the House. The problem is it didn’t have the numbers in the Republican caucus to get called for a vote.
Many conservative Republicans are afraid of facing negative campaigns from the Family Foundation of Kentucky if they vote for gambling legislation.
But the poll shows that 58% of Republicans support Kentucky sports betting legalization compared to 34% in opposition. Democrat support is even higher (69%-22%).
Koenig’s favorite part of the poll is that 26% of voters say they would be more likely to re-elect their state legislator if he or she votes for sports betting. Only 14% said they would be less likely to re-elect, and 59% said it would make no difference.
“I’m going to use it,” Koenig said of the poll. “We’ll see if it works. It’s hard to argue when it’s legal in 33 states. These are Republican states and Democratic states, it doesn’t matter. We are almost entirely surrounded now by states with regulated sports betting, with the exception of Missouri.”
KY sports betting bill coming at end of month
The Kentucky legislature has been in session since Jan. 4. But Koenig is strategically taking his time reintroducing his sports betting bill.
Previous bills allowed Kentucky horse racetracks and professional sports venues one retail sportsbook and one mobile sports betting app.
Learning from past mistakes, he wants to use as much time as possible talking to Republican colleagues on the issue. Because he knows that, once the bill is out, they will hear from the Family Foundation of Kentucky. Feb. 28 is the deadline to introduce new bills in the House.
Koenig said the biggest change in his coming sports betting bill in comparison to last year’s iteration will be on requirements for signing up for mobile sports betting accounts. In the past, his bill had an initial 18-month period requiring signing up for mobile accounts in person.
“That’s going to come out,” Koenig said. “You just have to look at the numbers of where the money comes in and you know that you can’t start that way and expect to have any real results.”
News Update: March 2023 saw the long-anticipated legalization of sports betting in the great state of Kentucky. This monumental decision has set the stage for a new era of exciting possibilities with a trove of enticing KY online sportsbook promos awaiting state bettors after the official launch, including exciting offers from renowned platforms like Bet365 Kentucky Sportsbook and DraftKings Kentucky Sportsbook.
