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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Off-track ‘instant racing’ betting parlor in Idaho Falls looks to move to racetrack

Double Down Betting Bar & Grill in Idaho Falls, one of three locations in the state that operates controversial slot machine-like “instant racing” machines, has submitted an application to the city of Idaho Falls to move from its in-town location to the city-owned Sandy Downs racetrack property, the Idaho Falls Post Register reports today. City parks director Greg Weitzel told Post Register reporter Bryan Clark, “This is a Council decision. If the Council deems that this is something they want to see at Sandy Downs, we will support it and do everything we can to work with Double Down and Ida Racing.”

Owner Melissa Bernard told Clark, “The governor’s message in his veto was that the Legislature’s intent was to have historical racing located at the track, even though they wrote legislation that allowed it to be off-track. We’re just good citizens of the community. If that was not the Legislature’s intent and that was not the governor’s intent, we just want to do what’s right.”

The Idaho Falls operation faces obstacles to continuing where it is; the state Racing Commission in April ruled that county approval was required for the off-track betting operation, and the county hasn’t issued that. Plus, a case pending at the Idaho Supreme Court over the validity of Gov. Butch Otter’s veto of a bill during this year’s legislative session could make the betting machines illegal, depending on how the justices rule; the bill would have eliminated the legal authorization for the machines statewide. Clark’s full story is online here, but a subscription is required.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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