Let’s not make the same mistake — why I am voting no on Prop 1

It’s not hard to remember the 2015 debate here in Idaho around the expansion of casino-style gambling, also known as historical horse racing (HHR). That debate is once again front and center.

The same proponents who backed these machines in 2013 are making a similar push through a measure on the ballot this November. The current campaign to bring back HHR terminals — machines which enable gamblers to bet on old already-run horse races in a casino-like environment — threatens the very fabric of our communities.

If Prop 1 passes, Garden City — home to the now defunct Les Bois Park — will flip the power switch on the over 200 gambling machines collecting dust here in our backyard, with no limit on future expansion. There’s no question Les Bois Park was once home to family-fun horse racing but all that changed in 2014 when Les Bois’ Turf Club was transformed into a Nevada-style casino.

If you remember, these gambling terminals were permitted under Idaho law for a short time after being legalized by the state Legislature. But legislators, feeling deceived, repealed the law because the arguments in favor of historical horse racing didn’t match the realities. Expanding gambling to benefit a private business is a slippery slope.

Prop 1 specifies that supporters will take home 9 percent of the guaranteed profits compared to a paltry half a percent for public schools — even though supporters claim students will be the ones benefiting from the measure. That balance seems lopsided given the impact that an unlimited number of gambling machines could bring to our communities.

Supporters of Prop 1 will put a lot of messaging and carefully crafted talking points in front of Idaho voters between now and November. They’ll talk about historical horse racing as a way to boost the horse racing community without mentioning that the measure only requires a site to host eight days of live racing per year to install an unlimited number of year-round gambling terminals. They’ll talk about the benefits to schools without mentioning that they’re in line to claim 18 times more money for themselves if the measure passes. They won’t make it easy for voters to get the whole story, but that makes it even more important that voters do their best to cut through the campaign’s feel-good commercials and make a decision grounded in the truth.

I have been an elected official in this city for over 20 years. I am all for sound policies that seek to solve problems, create opportunities, generate revenue and improve our quality of life — but Prop 1 is not that. That is why I am voting no on Prop 1 this November and I encourage you to do the same.

This story was originally published September 22, 2018 at 10:15 PM.