The sport of horse racing simply wouldn't be the same without the ability to be on the outcome.
Last Thursday, the state House and Senate passed and Gov. Andy Beshear signed House Bill 594, which outlaws what proponents call "skill games" and critics call "gray games."
Churchill also estimates a mid-2023 opening for the slots-like historical horse racing venue slated for the U.S. Bank building at Fourth and Market streets. That's slightly longer than an early 2023 timeframe the company announced last month.
The Louisville-based racing and gambling company has suggested for months that downtown would be the site of the next "historical horse racing" venue and its second in Louisville, joining Derby City Gaming on Poplar Level Road.
Sunday's joint announcement from Red Mile and Keeneland comes after the Kentucky Supreme Court declined to revisit its September ruling that the gaming machines, which look and act like slot machines, do not fall under the state's definition of parimutuel wagering.
The Family Foundation responded to briefs filed by the Horse Racing Commission and several tracks in a decade-long lawsuit involving the machines.
Historical horse racing topped $2 billion in wagers during the just-ended fiscal year, thanks to the addition of Derby City Gaming in Louisville and organic growth at other three racetrack venues.
The state's high court agreed Thursday to take up the nine-year case for the second time, potentially providing the last word on the legality of slot-like historical horse racing.