Kentucky governor asks House members to reconsider VLTs

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear reportedly sent a letter to members of the state House on Thursday, asking to reconsider a proposal that would allow video lottery terminals to be added at the state’s racetracks. Beshear’s budget plan announced last month assumed $780 million in gaming revenues, and the governor is asking for the legislators to readdress his proposal that would help alleviate the state budget problems. Beshear pointed out that a recent poll showed that Kentuckians “overwhelmingly supports VLTs at our racetracks (and that they) recognize that VLTs would help with our current budget crisis.”

In his letter, Beshear wrote that he hopes the legislators “will revisit the approach contained in my budget proposal to address this shortfall—recurring revenue from video lottery terminals at our racetracks.”

Beshear also wrote: “There are no magic bullets—only difficult choices. Instead of raising taxes, instead of moving us backward with drastic cuts in important areas, such as the education of our children, and instead of passing a budget that relies on a hope and a prayer for the economy to turn around or new stimulus money to arrive from the federal government, my proposed budget protects the priorities we have agreed upon repeatedly—protecting funding for our schools, for economic development efforts, for public safety and for health care for our most vulnerable citizens.

“Unlike a budget proposal based on a speculative assumption that Kentucky will receive additional stimulus funds (we have absolutely no control over what Congress may or may not do), my proposal relies on revenue that already exists and over which we can exercise total control if the legislature is willing to act.”

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