House Democrats increased the odds of passing a constitutional amendment allowing casinos by making changes in committee.

The gambling amendment bill passed today in the House Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee on a 7-2 vote.

The passed bill allows for nine casinos. Five may be at racetracks and the rest freestanding.

No licenses are set aside for racetracks.

Beshear’s original proposal would have allowed for up to 12 casinos, seven at racetracks and five freestanding.

After the bill failed in committee on a 3-5 vote Tuesday morning, Speaker of the House Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, rearranged membership in the committee.

Richards removed Rep. Dottie Sims, D-Horse Cave, who voted against the bill, and added Rep. John Will Stacy, D-Morehead, and Rep. Tim Firkins, D-Louisville, who would vote in support of the bill.

Sims had previously said she would vote in favor of the bill that majority leaders supported, said Brian Wilkerson, communication director for the Speaker of the House.

“She went back on her word,” Wilkerson said.

Sims couldn’t be reached for comment.

Sims told reporters that she considered the action the same as “communism,” according to the Courier-Journal.

The bill failed on Tuesday because of a division in committee over whether racetracks should be given an “edge” in getting a license, Wilkerson said.

Too many freestanding casinos would take business away from racetracks, said Julie Koenig, vice president of communications for Churchill Downs.

The passed bill may threaten the horse-racing industry because there is no guarantee that tracks will get a license.

Wednesday, Beshear issued this statement:

“I am encouraged by the quick response to my call for action to move a version of this amendment along. I am aware of the concerns that Kentucky’s signature industry – the horse industry – has about this version of the amendment, and I plan to continue meeting with House leadership to find a way to address those concerns.”

Beshear’s proposal predicted casinos proposal would bring in about $600 million annually after they’re all running in five years.

Gambling would bring about $500 million in license fees paid by the seven casinos at racetracks in the first year of the 2008-10 biennium, Beshear said.

The majority of that money would be used for education and health care.

The bill will now go to the House floor for full consideration. Because the bill would amend the constitution, it must be approved by a three-fifths majority in both the House and the Senate.

If it passes, it will be on the ballot in November to be approved by voters.

There’s very little support in the Senate for the bill, Wilkerson said.

Even though the bill passed in committee, John-Mark Hack, head of the Say No To Casinos campaign said he doesn’t think the amendment will make it to the ballot in November.

“The votes are not there,” he said. “House Democrats, especially from conservative districts in western Kentucky, should be able to recognize that voting for casinos to come in to the commonwealth could be very risky.”

Amendments to the constitution can only be on the ballot in even-numbered years, so if the bill doesn’t pass both houses, it can’t come up again until 2010, Wilkerson said.

Reach Michelle Day at news@chherald.com.