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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Idaho Falls betting bar owner says instant racing gives him ‘an opportunity to compete for these dollars’ with tribal casinos

Jim Bernard, operator of the Double Down Betting Bar in Idaho Falls and Sandy Downs racetrack, said, “I think we’re way ahead of ourselves on a repeal before we actually get all the facts. … I feel the legislation was done right the first time.” He said he’s run Sandy Downs Racetrack “at great expense to myself and my family for years, and it’s because of a passion for the sport. … We’ve got local folks, we’ve got local investors that have invested a ton of money in this. I think before anybody pulls anything, this should be looked at,” he said.

Bernard said, “It seems like there are several entities that are pushing this very hard, I think we need to stop and take a look at why.” He said the state lottery and tribal gaming compete with betting on horse racing in Idaho. “With those guys functioning 900 machines just down from me, of course, we give people options,” he said, referring to the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. “I think we at least deserve a fair opportunity to compete for these dollars. And I think that the legislation that was involved gave us that opportunity and was a wonderful thing for the horse racing industry.”

Asked how much revenue he’s made on the machines at the bar, Bernard said, “practically nothing,” saying, “We just barely started our operation there at Double Down about 45 days ago, we’ve had great response from the public but … really there is no money that’s come back.” He added, “Of course I’m a businessman, I didn’t get into this to lose money, I got into this to hopefully finance races and make money. ... Most of the money is returned to the betters, which is way more than they’re returning with slots and casinos, way more than the lottery.”



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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