LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Shirley's Way runs a charitable gaming facility on Dixie Highway in southwest Louisville with the proceeds donated to families impacted by cancer. It looks like your average casino, but founder Mike Mulrooney said $600,000 has been donated just in 2024.

"We're using the money for the good of the community," Mulrooney said Wednesday.

The Shirley's Way Gaming Room features 35 new digital pull tab machines that are designed to help cancer patients pay medical bills. But right now, Mulrooney is worried he won't be able to help these families.

Senate Bill 299, which passes the Kentucky legislature earlier this month, eliminates the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and the Department of Charitable Gaming and replaces it with a new, combined committee called the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation.

"We're very concerned that this could be the beginning of the end," Mulrooney said. "We're considered competition to the HHR machines. I don't know why, but they consider us competition. We won't make as much in a year that they make in a day. The frustration is they pushed us under a group that doesn't really like us, that looks at us as competition, and what would you do to your competition if you had the opportunity? So that's our fear."

The new committee will have a board made up of several people in the horse racing industry, gaming and charitable gaming sectors.

"We're worried that the regulations are gonna change so bad that they're going to force us out of business," Mulrooney said. "And that's going to impact the community."

Not knowing what will come of this change, Mulrooney just hopes to have a seat at the table and have a conversation with board members so he can continue to make a difference.

"We want to work with the people that we will fall under and try and get them to understand what it is we're doing," he said.

Mulrooney said because of the machines, he's been able to make more of an impact, helping local children's teams and schools.

"We didn't have the funds or the donations before we got into charitable gaming, and now that charitable gaming has been implemented and we've got machines around the city, we've been able to do tons of things for kids programs."

The law will take effect this summer. Charitable gaming will join the corporation next July.

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