Tribes seek end to instant racing machines

COEUR d’ALENE — Four Idaho-based Indian Tribes sent a letter Tuesday to Idaho’s governor and attorney general asking them to put an end to “Historic Horse Racing Machines.”

The chairmen of the Coeur d’Alene, Kootenai, Shoshone-Bannock and Shoshone-Paiute tribes signed the letter to Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, “to end the proliferation of instant racing machines around Idaho, presented to lawmakers as ‘historical horse racing,’ because it is illegal under Idaho law,” the tribes said in a press release.

In 2013, the Idaho Legislature authorized pari-mutuel wagering on previously-run horse races, but the tribes say machines that are currently installed were never seen by legislators during consideration of the bill.

That claim is disputed by proponents of the machines.

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