By Joe Zusman | September 21, 2007

The Kentucky gubernatorial race is heating up and poker is smack-dab in the middle.Democratic challenger, Steve Beshear, wants to bring a limited number of casinos to the state so that its residents will not flee to bordering states when they want to play a little poker.He believes that casinos could bring in hundreds of millions of dollars to the state, which could go towards education and health care.On the flip side, incumbent Governor Ernie Fletcher claims that casinos will increase crime, divorce, bankruptcy, and suicide.

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) is taking action, beginning a “poker advocacy” campaign in Kentucky to combat Gov. Fletcher.The PPA urges all Kentucky residents to contact Fletcher and other elected officials to express their disappointment with the Governor’s stance on the issue, as well as notify them that poker players’ voices will be heard at the ballot boxes in November.

Governor Fletcher is running not on his achievements of the past four years, but on a campaign of distraction,” said PPA Kentucky State Director Rich Muny.“In the process, Fletcher has demonized the good folks who enjoy the game of poker.Indiana has casinos with card rooms, built right on Kentucky’s borders, as do other states.Kentucky deserves to keep this revenue in our own state for the benefit of our own citizens.Additionally, our citizens deserve the freedom to choose to play a hand of poker.

A recent poll has shown that 82 percent of Kentuckians want to be able to vote on the issue, rather than simply allow legislators to make the decisions for them.The percentage of those for and against casinos is statistically split down the middle.

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