New Hampshire House Rejected the Casino Bill

New Hampshire House members rejected the proposal aimed to expand the existing casino infrastructure with two new facilities. One large and one smaller casino were said to provide jobs and revitalize the state’s economy.

Opponents’ Arguments

One of the most vocal of this Bill proposal’s opposition was Representative Patricia Lovejoy, who stated that the casinos would not have provided the economic benefits supporters wanted. The estimates from the pro-casino side were that these two casinos would have afforded the state an extra $130 million a year. They also were expected to provide jobs even after the labor used to construct them, which was slated with a combined cost of $120 million.

However, Patricia Lovejoy suggests that smaller casinos catering to their communities should be allowed instead of larger resorts that are aimed to appeal residents from the neighboring states. Besides, she and other opposition do not believe those figures could be reached. They also stated a concern about the difficulties new casinos could provide such as gambling addiction or the crime rate increasing.

Causes and Effects

Several similar bills were presented in New Hampshire over the last couple of years, but they all have been eventually rejected. Senator Lou D’Allesandra was the sponsor of this latest one and hoped that it would find success where the others did not. But that was not to be the case.

There is also a rumor of the Bill being denied because of logistical issues, such as who should be permitted to build the casinos. Governor Maggie Hassan was also in favor of the bill but wanted stronger regulation than was initially written into it.