Gambling discretion bill is now law

Gov. Butch Otter has signed into law HB 422, the bill to allow prosecutors and law enforcement officers to exercise discretion over whether they go after any act of gambling; current law makes it a misdemeanor crime for prosecutors or officers to fail to prosecute if they know about any gambling, no matter how small-scale. The law’s been cited in reports about a recent bust of a $20 poker game at a senior center in Twin Falls. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Grant Burgoyne, D-Boise, passed both houses with just a single no vote in each house, and Otter signed it into law without comment. It takes effect July 1.