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Amendment To NH Budget Bill Will Involve Gambling

Posted on April 25th, 2010

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State Rep. Steve Vaillancourt, R-Manchester is planning to introduce a proposal for an amendment to the budget bill that is now in the House that would involve expanded gambling. Vaillancourt based his proposal on the bill which was rejected Wednesday in the New Hampshire House, the same bill that Gov. John Lynch had vowed to turn down. Vaillancourt’s proposal would make several major adjustments to the bill that would legalize video slot machines and casinos in the state.

The proposal, which Vaillancourt wants to attach as an amendment to the budget bill, would reduce the number of slot machines from 17,000 to 6,000 and would require the sites of the six casinos to undergo a competitive bidding process. It would create a Gambling Oversight Authority and would raise to 60 percent the state’s share from gambling earnings. Under the plan, the state “would hire all employees to run the facilities.”

“The goal of this plan is to minimize corruption by shrinking the size of each facility and maximize state profits,” said Vaillancourt. Sen. Lou D’Allesandro, D-Manchester, the sponsor of the bill that died in the House Wednesday said he has not yet made up his mind if he will endorse expanded gambling in the budget bill as he wants to know first if Lynch plans to veto every gambling bill that goes to his desk. Lynch has said he will wait until the gaming commission he appointed to study the impact of expanded gambling on the state has submitted its analysis, which is due late May.

“I would like to ask the governor what he means,” D’Allesandro said. “Does he mean he would accept something else? And once you have the answer to that, you have to ask whether a scaled-down bill would make sense. Do you emasculate a piece of legislation, or do you really put together something that makes sense? The whole thing was based on economic recovery, and to do that you have to do something substantial.”

Those who support the senator’s bill said it would provide much-needed employment for construction and casino workers and many see it as a workable solution to the state’s budget deficit that has already forced many government agencies to cut spending.

Many in the state are also closely watching Massachusetts and its attempts to legalize casinos which could have a financial impact on New Hampshire As the budget bill goes to the House floor next month, other proposals, revisions and amendments are expected to be put forward in the next few days.