New Hampshire’s Senate recently passed a bill by a vote of 13-11 that would allow two casinos. The bill, sponsored by longtime gaming supporter Senator Lou D’Allesandro, has now moved to the House. This is his 16th attempt in as many years to pass such a bill.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Norman Major said that he hopes to hold hearings on it this week. “I have to make sure I can get a double room for that,” he said. “Usually, casino bills bring out a lot of people.”
D’Allesandro told the Eagle Tribune, “You always hope for success. We haven’t had a great deal of success with the Ways and Means Committee in the past.”
One consistent supporter of such a bill is Ed Callahan, who owns Rockingham Park in Salem. He has long wanted to build a large casino complex.
Opponents of casinos in the Granite State such as Casino Free New Hampshire, say that the region is become casino saturated and that the promised profits from such an enterprise would be limited.
The organization’s spokesman, Henry Veilleux, argues that casinos cannibalize existing merchants and do not contribute towards true economic growth. He adds that such a casino would not bring tourism to the state but would only attract local patrons.
A spokesman for Governor Maggie Hassan last week issued a supportive statement. “The governor appreciates that the legislature continues to focus on the issue, and she will closely review the bill as it makes it way through the legislative process.”
