The casino bill that the New Hampshire Senate passed recently was subjected to a pounding by House members last week.
The bill’s author, Senator Lou D’Allesandro has tried 19 times before to pass such a bill through the legislature. He remains optimistic that this will be the year he achieves his goal. His bill passed the Senate by a vote of 13-10, but in the past the House has always proven to be the death of casino bills.
At the bill’s first hearing lawmakers had to pass through the House lobby where a group of Casino Free New Hampshire protesters held a news conference.
Once the hearing by the House Finance Committee began, Assemblywoman Patricia Lovely declared “Debating another casino bill is nothing but a waste of time.” She called the figures presented for tax revenues the two proposed casinos would generate “pie-in-the-sky,” giving as her reason the proliferation of casinos in neighboring states.
She also questioned why the senator even proposed the measure, since originally his 19-year effort was intended to save Rockingham Park racetrack in Salem—now closed.
D’Allesandro recently answered that question: “While New Hampshire has done nothing, surrounding states now have gaming entities. They advertise on our TV stations and we send buses of New Hampshire residents to those other states to gamble. It’s time for New Hampshire to do something. No state that has done this has crumbled.”
Some restaurant owners, however, fear that their businesses may crumble under competition from the two proposed casinos.
James Morgan, a councilor at large representing the town of Derry, told the committee that the casino would offer food and entertainment that would compete with local eateries.
“This new casino bill is anywhere in the state. It becomes problematic because these restaurateurs, local people, they’re concerned about that because casinos become a big draw and the food is reduced price,” he said.
A part owner in an area restaurant chain told lawmakers “You trade one set of jobs for another, the difference is the profit goes to the headquarters instead of going to the local communities.”
Another chain owner, Tom Boucher, chief executive officer of Great New Hampshire Restaurants, said the state could lose millions of dollars in taxes that restaurants pay.
