Although supporters of one or more casinos in New Hampshire didn’t muster enough support to overcome opposition in the House last year, they are likely to try again this year.
They have the support of the state’s governor, Maggie Hassan, but that wasn’t enough to overcome entrenched opposition last year in the 400-member House, known for the quirky independence of its members. The House defeated a bill, authored by Senator Lou D’Allesandro, that would have authorized two casinos. D’Allesandro plans to refile the bill.
What the money derived from such a casino would be used for depends on which party you belong to. Democrats lean towards increasing spending while Republicans want to use it to reduce business taxes.
Representative Katherine Rogers, who supports casinos, says her allies are well organized. She told the News & Observer, “We’re ready for the fight, I think, where maybe we weren’t before.”
Opponents such as Steve Duprey, co-chairman of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Expanded Gambling, said that news of casinos closing in Atlantic City and losing money in Connecticut has worsened the case for casinos in the Granite State. “It is probably the least stable source of government funding there is (and) that sets aside any consideration of all the negative social costs,” he said.
Two years ago the governor tried to pressure the legislature to pass a casino bill by putting anticipated funds from such a casino in her two-year budget. She hasn’t revealed whether she will do that again this year.
