Casino Bill May Spell Out Second Location

State lawmakers today are rifling through more than a dozen amendments to the bill to legalize casino gambling in New Hampshire, including at least two proposed changes that would allow for more than one "high-end casino." Additional amendments are expected Tuesday afternoon.

House subcommittees studying revenues, regulations and "community impact" are to conclude their work today ahead of a full committee vote Wednesday on Senate Bill 152. There are various pending amendments, including:

• Adding a second casino in the White Mountains, with the assumption that the second casino would be one third the size of the first casino. Reps. Edmond Gionet (R-Lincoln) and Ken Weyler (R-Kingston) have sponsored this amendment.

• An amendment for broader legalization of casino gambling, designed to maximize economic development and tap "the potential to make NH a destination for gambling on par with Las Vegas," according to a summary of the proposed amendment.

• An amendment for one large casino that would raise revenue estimates.

• An amendment for six state casinos, two with 1,300 slots, four with 600 slots. This version was put forth by Rep. Steve Vaillancourt (R-Manchester), and it's similar to a bill he filed this session.

• An amendment by Reps. Richard Ames (D-Jaffrey), Katherine Rogers (D-Concord) and Peter Leishman (D-Peterborough) to restrict gambling by those under 21, ensure an entertainment center as part of any casino is limited to 1,500 seats and limits impact for existing live entertainment venues, additional language to curtail casino owners or lobbyist influence on the state Legislature, identification of venues (such as Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom and Capital Center for the Arts) which might be impacted, and a requirement that no ATM machines are located within 100 feet of slot machines or table games.

The Ames-Rogers-Leishman amendment calls for numerous other changes to the bill, including requirements for casino license applicants to provide:

• "workforce development plan with affirmative action program"
• equal opportunities for all including disabilities,
• accurate estimate and encourage using existing labor force in NH
• "equal opportunity plan for construction jobs by contractor and sub-contractor that includes specific goals for women, minorities and veterans."

When the subcommittee was reviewing this amendment, Rep. Colette Worsman (R-Meredith) had several questions about whether the amendment would have its desired effect – helping to ensure some of the construction jobs would be won by New Hampshire residents and companies. The proposed criteria, she said, might actually do the opposite, given the state's size and business community.

SB 152, as introduced and as it passed the Senate in March, proposes one high-end casino with up to 150 table games and no more than 5,000 video slot machines.

Gov. Maggie Hassan has supported legalizing casino gambling, but for one high-end location in the southern part of the state. State Sen. Lou D'Allesandro (D-Manchester), one of the prime sponsors of SB 152, said the sponsors went with one location for a proposed casino because of concerns expressed in the Legislature about the proliferation of expanded gambling.