FLORENCE, Ky. -- If the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce gets its way, casino gaming will be legal in Kentucky.
The Monte Casino chapel was built in 1878 at a nearby monastery by a couple of Benedictine monks, and named in 1922 by Ripley's Believe It of Not as 'Smallest Church in the World.' The monks subsequently left the area, the chapel was abandoned and vandalized, then rescued and moved in 1965 to the college campus. Casinos in Kentucky. Kentucky, known as the 'Bluegrass state,' does not have any traditional casinos. The most common form of gambling found in Kentucky is pari-mutuel betting on thoroughbred horse racing, which can be found at the 10 racetracks located through out the state. The Syndicate entered Northern Kentucky, first by taking over Latonia Park and a dog track in Florence. In the mid-1930s, they 'acquired' Beverly Hills and the Lookout House from locals and began what was to become an almost total takeover of gambling in Northern Kentucky.
Brent Cooper, the president of the chamber, said they're partnering with the Louisville Chamber of Commerce on a recent push to make it happen. They aim to get the issue on the November ballot.
'I don't understand why we wouldn't pursue this from the state,' he said. 'Especially the face that we have horse racing and a billion dollars comes out of the lottery. We already have gaming. It's prevalent. Why not take advantage of it?'
States near Kentucky including Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee and Illinois have already adopted gaming. Cooper said 85 percent of Kentuckians live within two hours of a casino. He likened the situation to packing up millions of dollars in a suitcase and shipping it out of state.
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'If we can keep those dollars here, keep them from going across the river, keep them from going to Indiana or Ohio, that's in our interest,' he said. 'We want to pursue that.'
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Cooper said it makes sense to legalize casino gaming in Kentucky. But the idea has faced opposition in the past, especially from rural communities. Some view casinos as a potential threat to their way of life. The casino proponents are willing to work around that with how legislation is written, according to Cooper.
Route 66 casino rv park website. As it stands, the state is missing out on between $250-$350 million, Cooper said.
'We're bringing it back up now because of the pension situation in Frankfort. It's dire,' Cooper said. 'They have to come up with a way to come up with revenue. This is an alternative to raising taxes. They could raise hundreds of millions of dollars with this kind of option for our community.'
Cooper said there's been support from both sides of the aisle in Frankfort.
'If we can keep those dollars here, keep them from going across the river, keep them from going to Indiana or Ohio, that's in our interest,' he said. 'We want to pursue that.'
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Cooper said it makes sense to legalize casino gaming in Kentucky. But the idea has faced opposition in the past, especially from rural communities. Some view casinos as a potential threat to their way of life. The casino proponents are willing to work around that with how legislation is written, according to Cooper.
Route 66 casino rv park website. As it stands, the state is missing out on between $250-$350 million, Cooper said.
'We're bringing it back up now because of the pension situation in Frankfort. It's dire,' Cooper said. 'They have to come up with a way to come up with revenue. This is an alternative to raising taxes. They could raise hundreds of millions of dollars with this kind of option for our community.'
Cooper said there's been support from both sides of the aisle in Frankfort.
This isn't the first time a casino proposal has been presented In 2008, a similar proposal crumbled in the Kentucky House of Representatives, but Cooper said this time could be different. The stakes are higher now with looming costs like the state pension.
'If we approve this, it will create a revenue stream that will help us to really jumpstart this state in so many ways,' Cooper said.
