Although many states are moving to legalize sports betting, Idaho probably won’t join their ranks any time soon.
Idaho’s constitution specifically bans gambling except pari-mutuel betting, with the definition including daily fantasy sports. In November the voters defeated Proposition 1, which would have legalized historic horse racing machines by a vote of 4.58 percent for and 54.2 percent against.
This defeat is seen by some as the death knell for the only form of legal wagering in the state outside of Indian gaming: horseracing. Prop. 1 was sponsored by the state’s nine racetracks as a way of bringing more traffic to their facilities, and provide more revenue. Outgoing Governor Butch Otter has described the state’s horseracing industry as “diminished.”
Critics, including the state’s gaming tribes, saw the historical racing terminals as too much like slot machines.
