Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

A story in the Lexington Herald-Leader reported that a Northern Kentucky resident was sentenced to serve time in federal prison for stealing $492,000 worth of Amazon gift cards from his employer. Thomas Scott Taylor told the judge that he had a problem with “gambling” especially with betting on fantasy sports. It's interesting that some legislators tried to legalize gambling on fantasy sports this last session. An irony here is that Amazon expanded into Northern Kentucky and provided real jobs and economic growth.  Sports gambling advocates on the other hand offer little more than a pie in the sky promise of quick dollars that, often leads to illegal activity. The contrast is stark: gambling ventures or businesses that provide real services and products. Because not all economic activity is the same. We hope our legislators realize this.