That didn't take long.

Just a day after Democrat Steve Beshear defeated Ernie Fletcher in the Kentucky governor's race, a bill was pre-filed in in the state senate that would place a constitutional amendment on the fall ballot that would allow for expanded gambling in the state.

Sen. David Boswell of Owensboro pre-filed the bill.

If the bill passes the state house and senate - and right now it looks like it will - the constitutional amendment would appear on a ballot so that Kentuckians can choose whether or not casinos should be allowed to operate in the state's racetracks.

And that's a good thing.

You can argue back and forth from now until the end of time about the pros and cons of casinos - but ultimately it should be the voters who get to decide their fate.

If the majority of Kentuckians don't want casinos in this state, then they shouldn't be allowed.

Conversely, if more people want them than not, they should be allowed to set up business.

I think that's part of why Fletcher wound up being voted out by such a wide margin. According to him, we shouldn't have the right to decide for ourselves whether or not expanded gambling should come to the Commonwealth.

He had already made up his mind that it was a bad thing, and if elected, we'd just have to live with his decision.

I suppose if I bought into his arguments that casinos are terrible for the community, I'd feel differently.

But I really don't think casinos are the great evil that Fletcher and others paint them to be.

I know that in some families, gambling becomes a huge problem. I have no doubt that it has torn some families apart.

But so has countless other addictions - such as alcohol or prescription drugs.

And it's not like they're not already here.

Just because the casinos are barely across the river in Indiana and Illinois doesn't mean they don't impact Kentucky.

Evansville and New Albany aren't crime-ridden cities because of the casinos.

That wouldn't be the case here in Kentucky either.

Now, I'm not sure that expanded gaming will be a huge financial gain for the state, but I do think it can only help the economy.

- OJ Stapleton is the editor of the News-Democrat & Leader. Contact him at edit_ndl@bellsouth.net.