Cd'A Chamber of Commerce opposes Proposition 1

The Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce announced its Board of Directors unanimously voted to oppose Proposition 1, the Historic Horse Racing Initiative.

The Chamber stated in a news release:

“Citing several key issues, the board was unwavering in their opposition to the proposition.

“Key to the discussion was the faith placed in the legislative process that led to the current ban on the use of the proposed gaming machines. Two years ago, after thorough study, discussion and debate, the Legislature overwhelmingly voted to ban the use of said machines, a vote that the Coeur d’Alene Chamber fully supports.

“Secondly, the Idaho Attorney General’s opinion calling into question the conformity of the proposition to the state’s constitution. In his written opinion of Jan. 12, 2018, he states that the law would be “likely to draw legal challenge” further stating, “equating historical horse racing wagering to pari-mutuel betting may be legally vulnerable.” Similar legal challenges in several states across the U.S. have transpired. This challenge would result, in the Coeur d’Alene Chamber Board’s opinion, in unnecessary legal defense expenses by the state. A cleaner approach would be to have a constitutional amendment and thus avoid unnecessary legal expenses.

“Lastly, the board was highly critical of the deceptive tactics employed by the proponents of Proposition 1, both in the content of the current TV campaign and before the Legislature. A more Transparent discussion needs to be held regarding an issue of this importance. The issue of the state privatizing gaming and expanding gaming laws to include slot machine type, wide area gaming machines, needs to be debated openly with 100 percent transparency. Public policy should not be impacted by anything less.

“For these reasons, the Coeur d’Alene Chamber opposes Proposition 1 and encourages its members to study the issue in full detail before casting their vote this November.”