House Speaker Greg Stumbo made the proclamation at the close of the state legislative session last week, essentially making it his “personal agenda” to push Kentucky casino bill at the 2016 General Assembly next January.

Stumbo filed casino bill HB 300 during this year’s session that if approved, would allow up to six casinos in counties of at least 85,000 people that have approved expanded gambling in a local-option vote. No congressional district could have more than one casino. The casinos would be overseen by the Kentucky Lottery Corp.

But the casino bill never called for a hearing, perhaps understanding the tricky nature of talks in a state that has repeatedly pushed off discussions of expanded gambling in recent years, be it due to the horse industry’s incessant squabbles or the reluctance by other lawmakers to talk about the issue.

Stumbo sees an opportunity in bringing back talks to the table in 2016, citing the upcoming gubernatorial elections as an opening to get the new governor on board with his proposal. It’s easier said than done and some analysts even believe that he’s only wasting his time pressing the issue in a climate where there doesn’t appear to be enough support for his proposal to gain any sort of legitimate traction.