A bill that would allow bettors to wager up to $25 on historic racing—with tax revenues going to New Hampshire charities—is advancing in the legislature.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Patrick Abrami, declared last week: “Destination casinos are never going to happen in New Hampshire. Now let’s support the model that we have.” HB 626 is now undergoing hearings by the House Ways and Means Committee.
A similar Senate bill (SB 112) is being carried by Commerce Committee Chairman Harold French, Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Gary Daniels and Senate Democratic Leader Donna Soucy.
It’s being endorsed by the Granite State Poker Alliance, a group of companies that sell pull-tab games at charity gaming events, as well as New Hampshire Charitable Gaming Operators and Churchill Downs, which operates historical racing in Kentucky.
Several states have brought in historical racing to help their racetracks stay afloat. But in some, such as Wyoming, it’s doing far more. In that state, $793 million was wagered in 2019, which raked in $7.9 million for local municipalities, while another $3.3 million went into a horse breeder’s fund.
Both bills in New Hampshire would tax the machines at 25 percent and divide it between the state and charities. The New Hampshire Lottery says the state would net $12 million, and more than two dozen charities would split $5.8 million.
