LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Downtown Louisville will be home to Churchill Downs' second gaming venue in the city, and the fifth in the state of Kentucky.
As the company expands, Kentucky lawmakers are torn — some wanting to bring casinos to the state while others are unwilling to roll the dice.
While gambling has seen many changes over the years, with states across the country easing restrictions on casino gaming, Kentucky still prohibits casino gaming while neighboring state Indiana is chock-full of it.
But the city of Louisville will soon have another casino-like entertainment venue that will sit in the heart of the city at the corner of South 4th and West Market streets.
Inside the venue will be rows of historical horse racing machines also known as "instant racing."
"They're slot machines,” said Sen. Morgan McGarvey, D-Jefferson County. “Let's call them what they are and let's tax them for what they are.”
Historical horse racing machines are legal, but slot machines are not.
“Let's go ahead and get actually casino gaming in Kentucky so that we can have the full option and bet on sports," McGarvey said. "We need to have a vote on casino gaming to keep the carloads of cash from going across our border into Indiana."
While Democratic lawmakers in the state question what the hold up is, some Republican lawmakers think differently, including state Rep. Kevin Bratcher of Louisville.
"I wouldn't bet on regular style casinos getting here, because you basically have them now with the horse casino," Bratcher said.
Bratcher said gaming-like venues with historical horse racing may be the closest thing to casinos Kentucky will see, at least for the foreseeable future, and companies in the Kentucky gaming industry, such as Churchill Downs Inc. are playing for keeps.
“Now that the historical horse racing is here, you're going to get more of a resistance for regular-style casinos because it's competition,” he said. “It's going to be the gambling of Kentucky — the casinos of Kentucky."
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