By TOM LATEK and MARK MAYNARD, Kentucky Today

FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) Even with the state facing a projected budget shortfall and an enormous public pension debt, casino gambling remains off the table.

I havent heard any discussion of that issue and no one has talked to me about it, said Senate Minority Leader Ray Jones, D-Pikeville. Ive always opposed gambling, for personal reasons. For me to support any kind of expanded gaming, it would have to be very, very limited and controlled circumstances. Ive not seen any type of proposal that I could support.

Several other lawmakers interviewed on Wednesday said theyve heard no serious discussions about casino gambling as a revenue generator to bolster state finances.

Rep. Tim Moore, R-Elizabethtown, didnt see gambling going anywhere.

I havent heard anything that rises to the level of a buzz, just a little noise at this point that hasnt risen in volume, he said. There are always going to be a few that thinks casinos are the right policy for Kentucky, whether we need this money for pensions or the budget.

The reason for justifying it shifts, but the desire to have it never goes away.

Gambling in any form wont get any support from him, said Rep. Dan Bentley, R-Russell.

I havent heard the word gambling spoken of since we voted down the Fantasy Football, said Bentley, referring to ill-fated legislation that was quashed earlier this year. Im sure that Im not privy to everything, because there are cliques and all, but I havent heard anything.

The Fantasy Football proposal would have established a legal footing for paid-entry fantasy sports and regulation of companies offering them, like the biggest Daily Fantasy Sports operators, DraftKings and FanDuel.

The bill garnered a majority vote in the House with a 37-36 margin, but did not reach the 40-vote threshold required to advance it to the Senate (bills must be approved by two-fifths of the 100 members in the House).

The bill went from introduced making it through two committee votes to dead in just two weeks.

Plans announced by Churchill Down in June to build a standalone facility to house 650 historical horse race machines had some thinking it may be part of a larger effort by pro-casino forces for expanded gaming in Kentucky.

The Daily Racing Form reported the historic Louisville track plans to spend $50-60 million at the 85,000- square foot parlor, which received preliminary approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. It would be located near Churchills Trackside training facility and open in about a year.

The proposal marked a change in tactics for Churchill Downs, which has historically lobbied for a full casino and not sought the machines, which use the results of previously run races to determine winners and pay-outs.

Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Hopkinsville, said while he heard a few murmurs about addressing expanded gaming after Churchills announcement, it has since quieted.

I spoke with leadership, and they were unaware of anything that was going on. I havent heard those same rumors.

As a legislator, Im vehemently opposed to it, Westerfield said. I think its a regressive tax. Everyone agrees the Commonwealth needs more money, but shouldnt make it from lower or middle-class folks who dont have the money in the first place.

Westerfield, who on Tuesday announced he was a candidate for attorney general in 2019, said it would be a difficult road.

I would want to know if any legislation is constitutional and would pass constitutional muster. I didnt think the [horse] industry was on the same page anymore. I thought they were still in disarray over what they hoped to get, and couldnt find agreement.

Rep. Jill York, R-Grayson, said she hasnt heard anything from her region or in the annex or even the hallways about gambling.

I will say the new majority is being as transparent as they can into looking at everything, she said. There are some very real issues that are going to have to be addressed. I applaud out-of-the-box thinking, but the gambling box is one I havent heard talked of opening.

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Casino gambling remains no dice for lawmakers in Kentucky - Kentucky Today (registration)