The Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions

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Gambling amendment impedes competition?

The language in the proposed constitutional amendment to expand gambling has a very troubling aspect to it. Kentucky Senator Dan Seum apparently shares this concern...From cn|2's Pure Politics...

But Seum told the Courier-Journal he couldn’t support the initial draft of the measure unveiled a week ago by Gov. Steve Beshear and Republican Sen. Damon Thayer. Specifically, he said he was concerned that the constitutional amendment language was too specific by limiting five licenses to horse racetracks, which he said would reduce competition, and thus the price, of such licenses.

I'm glad that I am not the only person concerned with the lack of competition that would inevitably result from state government limiting the number of casinos to five at horse racetracks and two independent, free standing facilities.

Government should not be in the business of picking winners and losers.