The First Online Poker Legalization Opportunity Of 2019?

We are not quite done with 2018 just yet, but online poker advocates are already looking forward to the new year. They are primarily concerned with trying to figure out which states may be in play for poker legalization in this new year. It appears that one of the emerging options is the commonwealth of Kentucky. 

Kentucky is currently wading through a pension crisis statewide. Many elected officials in the state are doing their best to find solutions to the problem. The Attorney General of Kentucky has now suggested that legalizing online poker may be at least part of the solution. Though it is still considered something of a long shot, the option to legalize online poker in Kentucky does have appeal in certain corners. 

One of the former governors of Kentucky had made it quite difficult to make the state appealing for new gambling ventures when he took steps in the early 2000's to take control of numerous website domains that were related to online gambling. He wanted to make sure that the websites understood that they were not welcome in Kentucky. The former Governor poisoned the well so to speak at the time for any online gambling operators who might decide that they wanted to offer games in Kentucky. Now, it appears that the state may reverse course and try to welcome those same gaming sites back into the state with open arms. 

Politicians in the state are between a rock and a hard place with the pension crisis. All want to solve the pension problems, but none want to have to raise taxes on anyone in order to do so. It puts them in a tough spot as they try to consider all options laid before them. Is it reasonable to consider online gambling as a possible source of revenue for the state at this time? Of course it is! 

There is one more clear obstacle that stands in the way of Kentucky legalizing online gambling. That is the horse racing industry that the state is so well known for. They have taken pride in the racing industry and the related wagering that goes along with it. Online gambling could threaten at least some of the revenue that horse racing currently brings in. That could be a major problem for some of the horse racing tracks throughout the country. It is one more thing that Kentucky lawmakers will have to weigh in their minds as they consider legalizing online gambling.