Tagged: Gambling

In unusual alliances Democrats and Republicans from the North Country paired up for and against a bill that would have allowed gambling.

The bill failed on a 118 – 226 vote.

Eight representatives – including five Republicans and three Democrats – voted in favor of the bill.

Six representatives - including four Republicans and two Democrats – voted against the bill.

As NHPR’s Todd Bookman reported:

Gambling in New Hampshire ran up against a stacked deck in the Statehouse today. 

Gambling in New Hampshire ran up against a stacked deck in the Statehouse today. 

The House has voted to kill a bill that would have brought four casinos and 14,000 video slot machines to the state. The bill would have used gambling revenue to reduce business taxes.

Supporters urged quick action to offset the recent approval of three casinos in Massachusetts.

"Since Massachusetts passed its own expanded gaming bill, doing nothing is no longer an option," says Representative David Campbell, a Democrat from Nashua.

The House rejected that plan by 40 votes. 

The House then rejected another amendment that would have put the award of gambling licenses out to bid.

The debate over the economic impacts of HB 593 (or "The Casino Bill," if you will) continues. As Kevin Landrigan of the Nashua Telegraph reports, discussion of the bill continued Monday, when the House Ways and Means committee listened to about three hours of public testimony:

"The state stands to lose $150 million of existing tax receipts to Massachusetts casinos if efforts to expand gambling in New Hampshire sit idle.

Once again, lawmakers are looking at bills to increase gambling options in New Hampshire.  With more gaming sites opening up in  Maine and Massachusetts some say that’s a reason to expand here, while opponents say just the opposite.  Meanwhile, Governor Lynch says he’s not willing to “make a bet” on gambling, making the reality of casinos in the Granite State tougher, but not impossible for this cause.

Guests

• David Hess - Republican Representative from Hooksett and a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
• Lou D'Allesandro - Democratic Senator from Manchester and a member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

We'll also hear from

Recently, we told you about a gas station in the border town of Methuen, Massachusetts.  According to Massachusetts State Lottery Executive Director Paul Sternburg, it’s on track to do $13 million this year in lottery revenues.  When we spoke with Ted’s Mobil owner Tony Amico, he estimated at least half his customers are from New Hampshire.  And StateImpact’s unscientific survey of license plates in the gas station parking lot bore that number out.

Governor John Lynch promises to veto any bill that would allow casinos or similar forms of gambling in the state.

Governor Lynch struck preemptively.  In a letter to the Republican leaders in the House and Senate, he said more gambling would increase social service costs and, with casinos likely to come to Massachusetts,  fail to raise as much revenue as backers predict.

The governor’s spokesman, Colin Manning said furthermore, any expansion will lead to proliferation.

“These types of legislation in the past talked about expanded gambling in one location, then it grew to two and it grew from there before a bill had even passed a body of the legislature.”

Proposal to allow two NH casinos clears ways and means committee by 14-7 margin. NHPR's Josh Rogers reports.

The 14-7 vote by the house ways and means committee runs counter to years of anti-gambling votes in the house. And it comes in the wake Massachusetts' passing bills that call for three resort casinos and one slot machine parlor. House Majority leader DJ Bettencourt of Salem hopes votes on Beacon Hill have changed the changes the equation on gambling for many house members.

“NH needs to act in light of what Massachusetts has decided to do, and I think that this is a bill that is in keeping with the republican party platform and it should give those who have traditionally opposed in the past something to think about this time around.”