New Poll Shows 87 Percent Want Vote on Expanded Gaming

A new poll shows an overwhelming number of Kentuckians want a constitutional amendment on expanded gaming to be on the November 2012 ballot and that the measure would likely pass.The poll was conducted by Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group in Washington, D.C. for racetrack and horse racing interests. It shows 87 percent of respondents want to vote on the measure during next year's general election and 64 percent would favor such a change to the state constitution. Governor Steve Beshear put casino gambling at the center of his 2007 gubernatorial campaign, but the initiative has been successfully blocked in the Republican-controlled state Senate. However, political winds changed for the upcoming legislative session given his thumping of state Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, in November. The governor has since promised to put gaming on the agenda for the 2012 General Assembly.From the governor's office: "Once again, a new poll shows Kentuckians demand an opportunity to vote on expanded gaming. The call for a direct vote by the people of this state has only gotten stronger over the last few years, and we should not make our citizens wait a moment longer to have their voices heard. For far too long, millions of hard-earned Kentucky dollars have flowed across our rivers to surrounding states—helping to build schools and roads, and hire teachers and police officers in Indiana, Illinois, and West Virginia. That’s Kentucky money, and it belongs here where it can directly help our people. We’re working very hard to prepare for the upcoming legislative session, and one of my top priorities will be a constitutional amendment to take the gaming question directly to our people. It’s time for Kentuckians to decide the state’s future on expanded gaming."