Idaho Supreme Court listens to betting machine arguments

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho officials presented legal defenses in front of the Idaho Supreme Court over whether lucrative betting machines should remain legal in the state.

Attorneys gave arguments in court on Tuesday. In June, the Coeur d'Alene Tribe filed a petition protesting Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's veto of a bill that would have outlawed the machines. The tribe contends that Secretary of State Lawerence Denney should certify the bill as law because the governor didn't complete the veto within the constitutionally required five-day deadline.

However, deputy attorney general Brian Kane says the tribe is going after the wrong guy, arguing the fault of any error in the veto lies outside of Denney's office. Known as instant horse racing, the machines allow bettors to place wages on prior horse races with no identifiable information.