More tightly regulated instant horse racing betting terminals would be welcome in Idaho, Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter announced last week.
State lawmakers recently banned the betting machines, which allow bettors to wager on previous horse races by using pari-mutuel terminals that have sound effects, spinning wheels, and animation that mimics slot machines.
Bettors compete against each other in pari-mutuel wagering, and the house only keeps a piece of the action, so Idaho law allows it.
But state lawmakers banned the machines over Otter’s objections. Otter vetoed the legislation, but he didn’t veto it in time, so the Idaho Supreme Court upheld the new law its ban on the instant horse racing machines.
“Let’s start with the steps I laid out in my veto message last winter: creation of a state gaming commission to set operating rules that are sensitive to community and industry concerns, restoration of horse racing services – including pari-mutuel terminals – but with tighter regulations on the location of the machines and operations,” Otter said in a statement.
Otter said he vetoed the law out of concern for the state’s horse-racing industry, which he said would suffer without instant wagering, and suggested instant wager is possible if regulated properly.
The Coeur d’Alene Tribe primarily led a statewide movement to repeal instant racing. The tribe offers video gaming on its reservation and opposed the additional competition.
