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We’re approaching almost a year since Wilder, Idaho, was the site of a massive illegal gambling bust that involved hundreds of law enforcement officers and a horse track.
What began as an FBI investigation into alleged illegal gambling at the track — Idaho betting laws bar such activities — has grown much bigger and more culturally relevant. It’s now become a national story over illegal immigration.
That’s because hundreds of people were detained as part of the October raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE as most know it. That led many to wonder whether the intent of the bust was ever really about gambling… or if it was just a cover story for yet another ICE raid?
All these months later, we still don’t know. And now, the case is getting costlier and messier. Keep reading, and we’ll bring you up to speed with this crapshow!
The Raid’s Backstory
Let’s start from the beginning, shall we? The FBI had been investigating suspected unlicensed parimutuel betting at La Catedral Arena after receiving a tip in February 2025. The horse races themselves were legal. Property owner Ivan Tellez had a conditional use permit allowing races on the property, but authorities said he did not have a license permitting gambling.
According to the FBI complaint, investigators believed wagers were being accepted through Venmo, Zelle, and other digital methods. Federal investigators alleged that one defendant received thousands of dollars in transactions linked to horse race betting and that money deposited into La Catedral accounts may have also included winnings from illegal gambling.
Four people were arrested at the track on gambling-related charges, while a fifth person was taken into custody the following day.
But this is where things started getting out of hand. Approximately 200 officers from 10 law enforcement agencies participated in the raid. Regular attendees at the track were also detained and zip-tied (yes, seriously!) while officers surveyed the scene. Even children were detained, allegedly.
You can see how this became a national story, right? Somehow only five people were detained on gambling charges, but hundreds more on illegal immigration. ICE raids have been a central culture war topic the last year, and the optics of this story only added fuel to the fire.
A Federal Judge Ordered Immigrants Released
In November of last year, U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ordered 16 immigrants arrested during the operation to be released after rejecting the government’s interpretation of when mandatory immigration detention could be applied. Winmill found that the government had not presented information showing the detainees were dangerous or likely to flee.
That decision is now costing the federal government money. Earlier this month, Winmill ordered the government to pay up $73,000 in attorneys’ fees and expenses to law firms helping the immigrants. So far, the government has not opposed the request for attorneys’ fees in 15 of the cases.
“As long as the government keeps playing games, taxpayers are going to foot the bill,” attorney Nikki Ramirez-Smith told the Idaho Statesman. “If the government’s going to illegally detain them, and we have to fight that…we’re all going to pay for it.”
Of course, the Department of Homeland Security has defended the raid, saying ICE lawfully arrested more than 100 undocumented immigrants. They also deny any claims of arresting children, which is the perfect fodder for its critics.
The latest lawyer fees are on top of what was already paid for the ten different agencies to participate in the bust. We know the costs for two of those agencies, which are Idaho-based. The Nampa Police Department spent $24,000 to send 26 officers, per previous Statesman reporting. Meanwhile, Caldwell Police Department used $11,300 on 16 officers.
The Other Cases Are Getting Complicated Too
Lawsuits have flown since the raid. Most notably, a group of attendees at La Catedral during the raid filed a civil-rights lawsuit against federal, state, and local officials (the triple whammy!). The lawsuit alleges that officers unlawfully detained people who were not involved in the suspected gambling operation and subjected attendees to excessive force and discriminatory treatment.
Get this, the plaintiffs accused officers of withholding adequate access to food, water, bathrooms, and medical care during the raid. Those allegations have not been proven in court, though, and government defendants are seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed.
But let’s not forget the supposed reason for the bust: gambling. The case there hasn’t moved at all. The five defendants accused of running the illegal gambling operations are still awaiting trial. Their trial has now been delayed until December 2026.
Idaho is one of the strictest states against legal betting. Besides having a state lottery, most forms of betting are barred in the state, including sports betting apps.
The state has heavy influence from Latter-day Saints (like Utah) and is very conservative on many issues, including gambling. So it would be on brand to make an example out of the five accused folks — if evidence permits.
It appears everyone will have their day in court eventually. But boy, is it taking long, huh? The costs and public scrutiny is mounting while all this gets sorted out.
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