(1) (a) In addition to the employees referred to in KRS § 230.230, the executive director of the racing commission may employ, dismiss, or take other personnel action and determine the reasonable compensation of stewards, supervisors of mutuels, supervisors of sports wagering, veterinarians, inspectors, accountants, security officers, and other employees deemed by the executive director to be essential at or in connection with any horse race meeting and in the best interest of racing, or those deemed by the executive director to be integral to the conduct of sports wagering.
(b) Three (3) Thoroughbred stewards shall be employed at each Thoroughbred race meeting as follows:

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Terms Used In Kentucky Statutes 230.240

  • Action: includes all proceedings in any court of this state. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
  • Racing commission: means the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. See Kentucky Statutes 230.210
  • Sports wagering: means the wagering conducted under this chapter on sporting events or portions of sporting events, or on the individual performance statistics of athletes in a sporting event or combination of sporting events, in conformance with federal law and as authorized by the racing commission pursuant to this chapter. See Kentucky Statutes 230.210

1. Two (2) stewards shall be employed and compensated by the Commonwealth, subject to reimbursement by the racing associations pursuant to subsection (3) of this section; and
2. One (1) Thoroughbred steward shall be employed and compensated by the racing association hosting the race meeting.
(c) Three (3) standardbred judges shall be employed at each standardbred race meeting as follows:
1. Two (2) standardbred judges shall be employed and compensated by the Commonwealth, subject to reimbursement by the racing associations pursuant to subsection (3) of this section; and
2. One (1) standardbred judge shall be employed and compensated by the racing association hosting the race meeting.
(d) The security officers shall be peace officers and conservators of the peace on racing commission property and at all race tracks and grounds in the Commonwealth and shall possess all the common law and statutory powers and privileges now available or hereafter made available to sheriffs, constables granted police powers, and police officers for the purpose of enforcing all laws relating directly or indirectly to the conduct of horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering thereon, the conduct of sports wagering, or the enforcement of laws relating to the protection of persons or property on premises licensed by the racing commission.
(e) The racing commission, for the purpose of maintaining integrity and honesty in racing, shall prescribe by administrative regulation the powers and duties of the persons employed under this section and qualifications necessary to competently perform their duties. In addition, the racing commission shall be responsible for seeing that racing officials employed under the provisions of this section have adequate training to perform their duties in a competent manner.
(2) (a) The racing commission shall promulgate administrative regulations for effectively preventing the use of improper devices at race meetings or in the conduct of sports wagering, and restricting or prohibiting the use and
administration of drugs or stimulants or other improper acts to horses prior to the horse participating in a race.
(b) The racing commission may acquire, operate, and maintain, or contract for the maintenance and operation of, a testing laboratory and related facilities, for the purpose of saliva, urine, or other tests, and to purchase supplies and equipment for and in connection with the laboratory or testing processes.
(c) The expense of the laboratory or other testing processes, whether furnished by contract or otherwise, together with all supplies and equipment used in connection therewith, shall be paid by the various associations licensed under this chapter in the manner and in proportions as the racing commission shall by administrative regulation provide.
(3) (a) The expenses of the commission and the compensation of all employees referred to in this section shall be paid by the licensee conducting a horse race meeting or pari-mutuel wagering on live or historic horse racing, provided that the expenses of the commission and the compensation of employees under this section related to administering the system of sports wagering shall be paid by the sports wagering administration fund established in KRS
230.817.
(b) The salary of the executive director to the racing commission shall be prorated among and paid by the various persons licensed under this chapter in the manner as the racing commission shall, by administrative regulation, provide.
(c) Except for the Thoroughbred steward and the standardbred judge authorized in subsection (1) of this section, the employees referred to in this section shall be deemed employees of the racing commission, and are paid by the licensee or association.
(4) Each person, as a condition precedent to the privilege of receiving a license under this chapter to conduct a horse race meeting, shall be deemed to have agreed to pay expenses and compensation as provided in this section and as may be actually and reasonably incurred.
Effective: June 29, 2023
History: Amended 2023 Ky. Acts ch. 147, sec. 8, effective June 29, 2023. — Amended
2022 Ky. Acts ch. 90, sec. 22, effective January 1, 2023; and ch. 124, sec. 15, effective July 14, 2022. — Amended 2010 Ky. Acts ch. 24, sec. 448, effective July
15, 2010. — Amended 2009 Ky. Acts ch. 80, sec. 2, effective June 25, 2009. — Amended 2004 Ky. Acts ch. 191, sec. 5, effective July 13, 2004. — Amended 2000
Ky. Acts ch. 447, sec. 6, effective July 14, 2000. — Amended 1992 Ky. Acts ch. 109, sec. 15, effective March 30, 1992. — Amended 1982 Ky. Acts ch. 100, sec. 2, effective July 15, 1982. — Created 1960 Ky. Acts ch. 184, sec. 4, effective June 16,
1960.