The NBA, NFL, and the PGA are among the major professional sports organizations signing up to lobby the Kentucky General Assembly in 2019.
Representatives with the country's top sports leagues are gearing up for what could be a rare bipartisan vote-getter next year – following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that opened the door to expanded betting on college and professional sports in most states.
"One thing they appear to want is some sort of fee built into the legislation, that the state would pay them a certain percentage of the gambling proceeds in order to help pay for their efforts to keep the integrity of their games high," says John Schaaf with the Legislative Ethics Commission.
A group of Kentucky lawmakers is busy crafting sports betting legislation ahead of the session, which begins in January. The legislators have already ruled out wagering on high school sports, but college athletics remains open for debate. Depending on which sports are allowed, the state could make anywhere between $5 to 30 million annually – according to supporters.
While Gov. Matt Bevin remains a staunch critic of casino gambling, he has expressed openness to considering a sports betting bill.
