The longtime indefatigable promoter of gaming in the Granite State, Senator Lou D’Allesandro, wants New Hampshire to tap into the billion-dollar sports betting market. The amount of money at stake is, he says, “incomprehensible.” He’s not alone.
The senator, who has for two decades introduced measures to legalize casinos in the state, this year has pivoted his focus since the U.S. Supreme Court uncorked the wellspring of sports betting when it removed the ban in May.
Noting that the neighboring states New Jersey and Delaware have wasted no time in legalizing the practice (Garden State residents bet $16.4 million the first two weeks, paying the state $300,000 in taxes,) that Massachusetts is also debating a bill and Rhode Island’s budget includes an estimate for how much it will collect in taxes, the senator promises that, if reelected in November, to pursue legalizing sports betting.
Assuming he is reelected, his first chance to file a bill would be in January.
Campaigning in his district, D’Allesandro declared “Football, baseball and basketball, these are little players when compared to college basketball. There are games on every night. The amount of money is incomprehensible.” he said. He added, “Everybody plays; March Madness office pools, friendly wagers on foot-ball games. This could be a great source of revenue. It’s going to happen around the country, so let’s do this responsibly.”
He would consider putting the New Hampshire Lottery in charge, and, not surprisingly, would probably include a casino as part of the mix. After all, he’s done that every year for twenty years! He likes the idea of setting up a system like Keno where convenience stores and restaurants could become vendors.
He said, “The lottery has got to be involved, you could do it electronically.” He asked rhetorically: “Do you have a casino in New Hampshire to provide the base? The policy aspect is very important and it’s going to take a long time to think about it.”
The lottery is closely watching states that have so far legalized sports betting but is waiting for the legislature to define its role.
Charles McIntyre, executive director of the lottery, told fosters.com: “There are a lot of variables to see how the state revenue from sports betting could be realized. Do you have a sports book? Multiple books? Will you be able to place bets on your cellphone?”
He added, “There’s a lot of widespread gaming activity people engage in that we could legitimize if the Legislature votes for it and the governor approves it. If the folks under the dome approve it; however, comfortable they are in rolling it out, we’re comfortable regulating it.”
Rhode Island has tried to shelter college athletics from gambling by prohibiting any betting on college games in the state, or on games out of state where a Rhode Island team is playing. D’Allesandro favors a similar approach.
A senator who will give a D’Allesandro bill a sympathetic hearing is Dan Innis. He voted for the senator’s casino unsuccessful bill last year that missed in a close vote.
He too wants to insulate college athletics. He told fosters.com: “Do we want people to be able to bet on UNH football and hockey? My gut says no, but I’ll need to look into it,” Innis said. “When I supported casino legislation I asked for the license to be reviewed after two years and there needed to be more than one bid-der for any one location, so I’d like to see some kind of similar considerations.” He considers sports betting to be a freedom issue, for both those placing the bets and the businesses taking them.
But there are opponents. One of them is Rep. Patricia Lovejoy, a veteran member of Casino Free New Hampshire, and therefore a frequent critic of D’Allesandro. Hardly a fringe group, the nonprofit includes a bipartisan core of legislators, along with the New Hampshire Association of Police Chiefs and New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association.
Lovejoy opposes gaming expansion for social reasons. “We don’t have a good track record as a state for putting money aside to help people who develop problems with gambling,” she said. “If we pass it, in the next budget gambling addiction funds would be one of the first things to get cut.” She believes allowing people the option of betting large sums on their Smartphones will open the door to problems for those betting—and their families.
Innis supports setting up a fund to treat gambling addiction and require the industry to foot some of the bill. “We’ll need assurances gambling addiction will be addressed because it’s a real problem,” he said. “Whether it’s a revenue sharing component or the companies coming in are setting aside funds to help stop addiction.”
Lovejoy won’t support such a bill even if it includes a provision for funding addiction treatment. “The general population is not in favor of casinos and hopefully all candidates seeking election to the Statehouse are asked if they support sports betting,” she said.
