The Lavish Gambling Lifestyle of David Williams

Today the KDP issued this press release:

After a weekend that saw Kentucky news outlets reveal Republican Senate President David Williams’ excessive gambling habits and high-roller lifestyle, Kentuckians now have a better understanding of how David Williams views the value of a dollar. Williams dismissed losing tens of thousands of dollars and admitted he thought little of gambling thousands of dollars in a single day.

$36,147 gambling losses over four years? Doesn’t make me a big gambler! The Herald Leader reported that Williams’ reported gambling losses of $36,147 in the four-year period from 1999 to 2002, according to a document filed in his divorce case in 2003. Williams’ response? “I don’t think that makes me a big gambler,” he said.

$17,999 gambling losses in one year? Not a big number! The Herald Leader reported that documents filed in Williams’ divorce showed a gambling loss of $17,899 in 1999. Williams’ response? “That $17,889 figure sounds like a big number, Williams said, but noted it could have involved several trips to gambling venues.”

Betting thousands at each racetrack visit? Couple hundred dollars on each race! The Courier Journal reported that Williams said “he goes to race tracks ‘maybe five times a year…Let’s say if I take a couple of thousand dollars, bet a couple of hundred dollars a race,” he said. “… Or you bet $50 a race, $20 across the board, cumulatively you keep those (losing) tickets in case you do hit a race.”

Williams’ cavalier handling of money stands in stark contrast to how many Kentuckians must closely watch every dollar during the global economic recession, and raises questions about David Williams’ understanding and sensitivity to their struggles.

“While blowing a couple grand at the track, David Williams doesn’t seem to share the sense of frugality with which most Kentucky families manage their household finances,” said Dan Logsdon, Chairman of the Kentucky Democratic Party. “Most folks don’t walk around with thousands of dollars in their pocket ready to put it on the line at a casino or a racetrack. Kentucky families are too busy paying the bills, raising their families and working to stretch their hard earned dollars to live David Williams’ opulent lifestyle.”

While Williams attempted to downplay his $36,147 in gambling loses as nothing out of the ordinary, Kentucky families would have a hard time agreeing with him. Here’s what $36,147 would mean to the average Kentucky family.

• $34,400 could put two children through four years of college at the University of Kentucky (University of Kentucky)
• $26,750 could pay for premium private health insurance for over 2 years for a family of four (Kaiser Family Foundation)
• $33,840 would cover the average American family’s housing costs for one year (US Dept. of Labor)
• $30,952 covers 4 years of ownership and operating costs for the average American family car (American Automotive Association)

Chairman Logsdon also compared Williams’ casual attitude about his own money to the way he inappropriately spends taxpayers’ dollars. “Now we know why David Williams thinks it is no big deal to spend $17,000 of taxpayer dollars on a plasma television for himself, $52,800 of taxpayer dollars for fancy wood paneling, or $63,000 of taxpayer dollars every day on a special session where he isn’t doing any work,” Logsdon said. “How can Kentucky families trust David Williams with their hard earned tax dollars when he clearly doesn’t understand the meaning of financial restraint? That’s something Kentucky can’t take a gamble on.”