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Bipartisan Support For Idaho's Prop 1
It's less than a month until Election Day, when Idahoans will decide whether to restore Idaho's horse racing industry.

Bipartisan Support For Idaho's Prop 1

BOISE, ID—OCTOBER 12, 2018—This week, leaders on both sides of the aisle in Idaho came together to show their support for Idaho's Prop 1. Governor Butch Otter and Boise Mayor Dave Bieter shared the stage Thursday to talk about the importance and value of a healthy live horse racing industry and to urge voters across the political spectrum to support Proposition 1 at the ballot box next month.

"Proposition 1 has one goal in mind, and that’s rejuvenating a live horse racing industry that just a few years ago employed hundreds in cities and rural communities throughout Idaho and injected millions of dollars annually into our economy," Otter said.

Mayor Bieter said: "Part of being a great city is having a variety of recreational opportunities. Horse racing is not only an Idaho tradition, it is also important to our agricultural heritage. And a percentage of proceeds from Les Bois Park are directly contributed to our local schools."

The Governor and Mayor were joined by Sen. Patti Anne Lodge, R-Huston, Rep. Hy Klock, D-Boise, and Boise City Council member Scot Ludwig.

Governor Butch Otter and Boise Mayor Dave Bieterwere joined by Sen. Patti Anne Lodge, R-Huston, Rep. Hy Klock, D-Boise, and Boise City Council member Scot Ludwig.
According to disclosures filed to the Office of the Idaho Secretary of State, more than 98% of the money raised and spent by the opposition to Prop 1 came from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, which operates a lucrative casino in northern Idaho.

"It’s one thing to argue against a policy on its merits. But it’s quite another for those who happily take Idahoans’ money on their own casino floor to argue that wagering on horse racing and Historical Horse Racing is bad public policy. While attempting to scare Idahoans about gaming and pretending to assume some kind of high ground, the Prop 1 opponents are obviously about one thing and one thing only—protecting their own casino profits, preserving their monopoly, and snuffing out any perceived or imagined threats to their business," said Bruce Newcomb, chairman of Save Idaho Horse Racing and former Idaho House Speaker.

Finance reports from Save Idaho Horse Racing show 100 percent of funding coming from Treasure Valley Racing, the organization that operates Les Bois Park in Boise.

Last month, the owners of Treasure Valley Racing announced the creation of a charitable foundation committed to supporting education, healthcare and the economies of rural Idaho communities. The owners – Robert Rebholtz Jr.; Harry S. Bettis; Linda Yanke; Larry Williams and John Sheldon – promised to donate 100 percent of the Les Bois Park profits to the foundation, extending each of the owners’ long record of philanthropy across Idaho.

It's less than a month until Election Day, when Idahoans will decide whether to restore Idaho's horse racing industry.