New Hampshire House throws out casino bill once more

The New Hampshire House has once again rejected the idea of opening casinos in the state, New Hampshire Public Radio reports.

Lawmakers voted 289-63 on Wednesday to kill the bill, then voted by a similar margin to go even further and "indefinitely postpone" it so the idea can't come back again in any form later this year.

The proposed law to license and tax two casinos in the state had narrowly passed the Senate in March, with Republican and Democratic support for both sides. But historically, the concept has faced opposition in the House. 

Senate Bill 310, would allow the creation of two casinos offering video lottery machines and table games, with a maximum 5,000 lottery machines allowable between the two of them. Between initial licensing fees and taxes – 35% for video lottery games and 18% for tabletop games – the casinos could potentially bring in up to $160 million to state coffers by 2024, according to an estimate from the Lottery Commission. 

Opponents noted that the bill's sponsor–Manchester Sen. Lou D’Allesandro–was the only person to speak in favor of it at an earlier public hearing, and said the time has passed for New Hampshire to enter the industry given that other casinos have opened in other New England states.

"There may have been a time when casinos made sense for New Hampshire, but that time has without a doubt come and gone," said Willis Griffith, a first-term Democrat from Manchester, speaking against the bill.

However, House and Senate lawmakers have appeared coalesced this year on an effort by Gov. Chris Sununu to legalize online and site-based sports betting, an effort that the Lottery Commission says could bring in around $10 million a year.