We thought our IdaBet.com players (those in Idaho and across the country) would want to read about a recent opinion posted in the Idaho Statesman and published again in the Paulick Report. Team IdaBet.com appreciates this opinion and agrees that Idaho needs Idaho Historical Racing.
OPINION: HISTORICAL RACING IN IDAHO DESERVES GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
by Paulick Report Staff
The Idaho Supreme Court issued a ruling on Sept. 10 which effectively banned historical racing terminals at Les Bois Park in Garden City, and as a result, the track won’t host live racing this summer. Boise councilman Scot Ludwig voiced his support of the horse racing industry, authoring an editorial in the Idaho Statesman in which he suggests that the government ought to be supportive of “businessmen and women who invested to evolve their industry to meet the changing marketplace” instead of just “seeking a government handout.”
“Just like newspapers have had to adapt and incorporate different technologies to reach audiences, so has the horse racing industry,” writes Ludwig. “Pari-mutuel historical horse racing terminals is that evolution. Their legal and constitutional operation ensures the viability of this industry — establishing a stronger revenue stream to fund more robust operations and larger purses.”
Those operations and purses support 536 full- and part-time positions in the state, according to Ludwig, which in turn generate “$35.1 million in increased sales of goods and services in the Treasure Valley.” Numbers like that are worth supporting, argues Ludwig, and the long-time patron of Les Bois Park is hopeful that the future of horse racing in Idaho is not finished.
Read more at the
Idaho Statesman
