Open letter to Gov. Butch Otter;

We support Senate Bill 1011, the bill to repeal Instant Racing in Idaho, and ask you to sign the bill into law. Over the past few months, this bill has received a lot of attention across the state and the issue has been debated thoroughly in the Legislature. The message from the overwhelming majority of legislators is clear — the machines are illegal under Idaho’s Constitution and many felt duped. Idaho’s elected officials were promised simulcast but instead got slot machines. The Legislature promised that this would only be at racetracks, now it’s in off-track bars. What’s next? Senate Bill 1011 has now passed both chambers with overwhelming support for the repeal of Instant Racing and the removal of these machines. As Idahoans, we do not want to see an unconstitutional expansion of gambling in our state. Many other states across America have rejected Instant Racing. It’s clear we should follow suit. We know you to be an adamant defender of the Idaho Constitution and hope you will continue to do so by signing this bill into law. See letter here.

Signed,

Former CdA mayor Sandi Bloem
Coeur d'Alene Mayor Steve Widmyer
Ron Nilson of Ground Force Manufacturing
Sheila Olsen & 3 former state senators

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