New Hampshire Regulators Discuss New Casino Bill
Members of the New Hampshire Gaming Regulatory Oversight Authority have recently met in an effort to discuss and start the creation of a new draft legislation which will allow the development of a casino plan by December 2013. In order to keep up with Massachusetts, New Hampshire’s main gambling competitor, lawmakers will have to authorize 5,000 new slot machines created by slot developers and 150 table games at one of the state’s casinos.
Gaming insiders are also claiming that New Hampshire might soon see the development of three casinos which will resemble those in Las Vegas, and also one gambling establishments which will only house slot machines. Pro-gambling regulators are expecting that this new plan will increase tax revenue which will be used for funding transportation and education, while opponents consider that the social costs implied by this new plan will be too high.
While Governor Maggie Hassan has struggled to get a similar bill signed at the beginning of the year, several state officials have refused to vote on it, making the casino bill die in the legislature during last spring. Gambling insiders are keen on seeing if this bill will come to fruition, while slot developers and gaming providers are ready to offer their services to New Hampshire operators who will most surely start land based casinos in this area in the near future.