A bill to ban slot machines, which have appeared in shops across the Bluegrass State, passed in the Kentucky Senate on a 29-6 vote. The bill now advances to Governor Andy Beshear.
Earlier this month, the bill was tabled in the House, only to be revived and passed days later. Speaker David Osborne made the procedural motion that resumed its consideration and a few minutes later the House voted 64-32 in favor.
The heavily lobbied debate revolves around thousands of cash payout games set up in convenience stores, gas stations and bars across Kentucky.
The supporters of the slot-style gaming machines refer to them as legal “skill games,” while those who wish to band them call them “gray machines,” and consider their legal status 'murky.'
Wes Jackson, President of The Kentucky Merchants and Amusement Coalition, said this outcome went against, “the needs of thousands of their constituents who are relying on the income of legal skill games.”
Kentuckians Against Illegal Gambling (KAIG) have focused on the proliferation of these machines and have said that if allowed, the placement of more such games would lead to the largest expansion of gambling in Kentucky history.
In 2022, a bill to banish the machines passed in both the House and Senate, but lawmakers couldn’t agree on an amended version before the legislative session ended. That led to months of further discussion by both sides, in preparation for this year’s possible verdict.
Mark Guilfoyle, Executive Director of KAIG, praised the recent senate vote by saying, “We commend the Kentucky General Assembly for bringing House Bill 594 across the finish line to protect Kentucky families and communities from the dangers of illegal gray machine gambling.”
