Idaho senators introduce bill to repeal law that allowed ‘instant racing’ machines

BOISE – An Idaho Senate committee agreed unanimously Friday to introduce legislation to repeal the 2013 law that authorized betting on “historical” horse races, and led to slot machine-like “instant racing” machines in three locations around the state, including the Greyhound Park. The move clears the way for a hearing on the bill, which was proposed by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. Representatives of Idaho’s horse industry, which pushed for the 2013 law to raise money to bolster dwindling live racing around the state, sat grimly through the meeting and huddled with two lobbyists afterward. Members of the Senate State Affairs Committee from both parties sounded concerns about the spread of the betting machines, questioning whether they violate the Idaho Constitution’s ban on slot machines and whether they really were permitted by the law passed in 2013. The Greyhound Park Event Center in Post Falls installed 35 of the machines last year. There are 200 at Les Bois Park just west of Boise, where the betting parlor is open until 2 a.m. daily; the Double Down Betting Bar and Grill in Idaho Falls also offers the machines., through an arrangement with Sandy Downs racetrack, which is west of town. “It is concerning to me that any track can assign this right to any location they want, which in my opinion was not the intent of the law,” said Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, who joined in the unanimous vote this morning. “There’s been a lot of talk around the Capitol, and people are concerned.” The 2013 law was pitched as a way to raise money to bolster Idaho’s horse industry through an expansion of simulcasting, betting on broadcasts of races being run elsewhere. The Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s lobbyist, Bill Roden, presented the proposed bill to the committee; tribal representatives including Helo Hancock, legislative liaison for the Coeur d’Alenes, also were in the audience. A day earlier, a House committee voted to hold off on considering several rule changes proposed by the state Racing Commission, including one regarding sites for the machines, after hearing concerns from Roden. After Roden’s presentation to the House State Affairs Committee, the committee asked Frank Lamb, executive director of the Racing Commission, for his response. “Well, I certainly felt the sting of the arrows,” he told the lawmakers. “Because it is pari-mutuel wagering, we can regulate it. If it were not, we couldn’t. … We’re just going to continue to do our job and try to enforce the laws and the rules as best we can.” Pari-mutuel betting involves a pool of bettors splitting winnings; that’s how betting on horse races works. The new machines are presented as another form of pooled betting, though that’s being reviewed in several states. In response to Hill’s questions, Lamb told senators on Friday that a law that passed about five years ago authorized racetracks to assign their simulcasting license to an off-track location, with approval from the local county commissioners and the Racing Commission. That’s how the Double Down bar in Idaho Falls got the machines; they fall under the simulcasting license for the Sandy Downs racetrack. The Senate committee also voted to put off consideration of administrative rules proposed by the state Racing Commission until late next week. “It may be prudent just to put off final consideration (of the rules) to see what else happens and comes up,” said Sen. Elliot Werk, D-Boise. “They’re specific to something that may change.”