North Idaho Tribe Fighting Instant Horse Racing

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Coeur d'Alene Tribe is going up against Idaho's horse racing industry by asking the state to ban lucrative slot-like machines known as instant horse racing terminals.

The tribal-backed legislation would repeal a 2013 law that authorized instant horse racing — betting on a previous race without any identifiable information. Currently, three out of Idaho's eight race tracks have installed instant racing machines.

The Senate State Affairs Committee voted unanimously to introduce the legislation on Friday, one day after a House legislative committee spent nearly two hours discussing the legality of the machines and expressing dismay they may have been deceived into approving a cleverly disguised slot machine.

However, the Idaho Racing Commission says that the machines are legal because bettors place wages against players, not the house.