New Hampshire’s Seabrook Park is building a 40,000 square foot gaming floor, which would make it the largest charitable casino in the U.S.
But Eureka Casino Resort, which bought the former greyhound track earlier this year, will also be in a position to quickly take advantage when and if the Granite State ever legalizes casino gaming. As has been attempted just about every year for the past two decades.
Meanwhile, the charitable casino is content to process bets that can be no larger than $10 and slot machines are not allowed.
Casino COO Andre Carrier, who was born in New Hampshire, told Sea Coast Online: “What the people of New Hampshire have to decide at some point, and they have to communicate effectively to the legislature is, do you want to export your revenue to Maine and Massachusetts or do you want to keep some of it?”
Some lawmakers have been trying to bring casino gaming to New Hampshire for decades. Such as Senator Lou D’Allesandro, who has almost become a Don Quixote-type figure, so often has he introduced bills. His most recent bill passed in the Senate 13-11, but was killed in committee in the House by a vote of 17-2.
The senator, and other allies such as Rep. Fred Doucette, who ran on a platform of bringing a casino to Rockingham Park, point to millions of dollars that the Encore Boston Harbor will funnel away from their state and keep in Massachusetts.
Opponents, such as Rep. Tom Loughman, said local interests such as music venues complained that a casino resort would steal business from their by undercutting them with low cost concerts.
Loughman told Sea Coast Online “With the opening of the casino in Massachusetts, we now believe that the demand is saturated. A good indicator of that being true is that in the public hearings, no casinos showed up.”
Representatives whose districts include Seabrook are still pushing the idea of a casino in that town.
Carrier’s casino is one of 14 charitable casinos in New Hampshire. Together they raised $9.1 million for charity. If a casino bill is ever passed by the legislature, Carrier says the days when the state could charge a huge amount for a casino license are passed.
Until that day happens Carrier plans to do the best job he can. “Would we put in a proposal? You bet,” he said when asked if his company would bid on a license. “We’re not here because I think that’s going to happen. We’re here to do a great job.”
