A judge in Frankfort has upheld the legality of regulations that allow wagering at Kentucky horse tracks on rebroadcasts of old races.The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission approved the Instant Racing regulations in July in an effort to give the industry a financial boost. The idea has drawn opposition from anti-gambling groups such as the Family Foundation. The group's Martin Cothran contends Instant Racing wagering is not the same as pari-mutuel betting allowed under Kentucky law."This ruling basically says you can have live racing with dead horses," Cothran said. Wednesday's ruling came in a suit filed in Franklin Circuit Court by horse tracks and regulators testing the legality of the regulations.Cothran's Family Foundation was allowed to intervene in the suit. He says the ruling by Judge Thomas Wingate will be appealed.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.