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Idaho Group Seeking To Get Historical Racing on the Ballot Are Bullied And Intimidated
Historical horse racing machines were legal in 2014 and 2105 at Les Bois Park.

© Les Bois Park
Idaho Group Seeking To Get Historical Racing on the Ballot Are Bullied And Intimidated

COEUR D'ALENE, ID—MARCH 30, 2018—According to article by Ralph Barthholdt published yesterday on the Coeur d'Alene Post Falls website (cdapress.com) organizers of a statewide ballot initiative that seeks to legalize the use of betting machines for wagering on past horse races have reported being bullied and intimidated by operatives hired by the North Idaho Voter Project, which is opposed to the initiative.

The Voter Project is a political action committee of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, which owns the Worley casino.

Save Idaho Horse Racing wants to overturn via initiative an earlier decision by the Idaho Legislature that outlawed historical horse racing gaming machines. Bruce Newcomb, a former speaker of the Idaho House, is chairman of the group.

According to the article Newcomb blames members of the North Idaho Voter Project of harassing and bullying signature gatherers, but Tyrel Stevenson, the Tribe's legislative director, said the accusations were false. Stevenson also acts as treasurer of the North Idaho Voter Project.

Treasure Valley Racing, which holds the lease to operate live racing at Les Bois Park near Boise, is backing the Save Idaho Horse Racing initiative.

Les Bois Park was closed and 535 jobs were lost in 2015 after the State's Legislature outlawed historical horse racing machines on the pretense they were slot machines, which are illegal in Idaho. A governor's veto was too late to overturn the measure.

Newcomb said live horse racing provided part of the income that kept the Les Bois track afloat. Estimates show that between 2014 and 2015, when the machines were legal, the Boise track saw wagers of around $2 million per week compared to $260,000 a week wagered on live races.

“Without the simulcast machines, it's not economically viable,” Newcomb said.

Around 56,000 signatures, equal to 6 percent of registered voters in 18 of the state's 35 legislative districts, are required for statewide ballot initiatives to be considered by voters in 2018.

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