Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear said late last week that he’s considering alternative plans to raise funds in order to save the horse racing industry in the state.

This development came out following his the recent orders given to the General Assembly to consider a bill that will allow the installation of video gaming terminals at the state race tracks. The governor said that this move could generate additional $60 million in revenues every year which could prevent the downfall of the horse racing industry. This would retain the state’s distinction as the “horse capital of the world.”

As of now, State Senate President David Williams said that video gaming has not been considered yet but rather the ten percent surcharge on the sale of lotto tickets. Other alternatives could raise the state about $83 million a year.

Williams added that in order for Beshear’s plan to be successful, each adult individual in the state must shell out at least $1,600 for the slot machines each year, something that is virtually impossible.

Despite the difference in opinion between the two officials, Gov. Beshear said that he’s encouraged by the fact that the senator also recognized the increasing concerns on the horse racing industry.

The legislators from the both the Illinois State Congress and Senate unanimously approved a plan to appropriate a certain percentage of revenues collected from the state’s four biggest casinos for horse racing programs.

According to reports, three percent of the revenues received by the government from casinos will be given to the horse racing industry for the next three years. This is translated to $90 million in funds ($30 million per year).

The result showed 37-13 in favor of the approval from the Senate and 88-16 in favor of the approval from the Congress.

This latest development brought hope to thousands of employees in the horse-racing industry. The proposal aims to save their employment especially since the U.S. is currently facing economic crisis.

Illinois Rep. Robert Molaro said that about 30,000 to 50,000 jobs will be saved.

Meanwhile, those who voted against the plan stated that it seemed unfair to let one business take the responsibility in saving a rival business, in this case the casino industry helping the rival horse-betting industry.

Rep. Jim Durkin, one of the voters against the plan, said that he’s having problems with this logic considering that the horse-racing industry should be the one connecting with the public to boost its business.

Account-wagering companies in California may be facing tough times ahead if they don’t agree on a deal.

According to reports, the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) warned these companies to come up with the deal on allowing bettors from different parts of U.S. to wager on state-sponsored races.

There has been an ongoing issue whether to allow bettors outside California to take part in state-sponsored races or not. Local horsemen groups and account-wagering companies have been battling this year-long dispute. This already resulted to signal blackouts on companies’ platforms. The companies involved in the dispute are Youbet, XpressBet, Television Games Network and Twinspires.

The licenses can expire by the end of this year.

CHRB Chairman Richard Shapiro said on Wednesday that the board is already “fed up” with the problems caused by the dispute. Despite these problems, he stressed that the board is not blaming either parties. They just need a resolution on the problem since a lot are affected with the dispute.

Horse racing groups and account-wagering companies are scheduled to meet this week to discuss possible solutions. If a favorable decision will be met, then there’s a big possibility that the licenses won’t be revoked by the end of this year.