Instant Racing could come to KY

According to reports, Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway has said "Instant Racing,” an electronic betting vehicle using pari-mutuel racing and slot machines, could be legal in Kentucky, but there would have to be changes to existing regulations.

 

Conway’s office said the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority and Gov. Steve Beshear could change existing regulations almost immediately. The governor's office said Wednesday they are reviewing the opinion.

 

"To the extent Instant Racing is not permissible in Kentucky, it is because Instant Racing does not constitute pari-mutuel wagering under the current administrative regulations,” the opinion reads.

Conway issued the opinion at the request of Sen. Damon Thayer, a Republican who has opposed legislative action to put slots at the state's racetracks.

 

Thayer said Wednesday that the opinion indicates that Beshear and the racing commission could make the necessary regulatory changes to allow Instant Racing.

 

Instant Racing made its debut at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas. It uses thousands of previously run races to generate an electronic type of betting similar to slot machines. The players bet on randomly selected unknown races based on general information. The bets are pooled but each player is betting on a different race. Oaklawn, which has 500 machines, has earned more than than $17.6 million for purses from Instant Racing since 2000.