As the pendulum of regulation swings in New Hampshire, lawmakers are deftly weaving a tapestry of bills designed to alter the very fabric of casino operations and charitable gaming in the state. A legislative ballet is unfolding, with proposals that dance along the line between innovation and tradition in a bid to reshape the gambling landscape.
At the heart of the discourse sits House Bill 1203, a piece of legislation with the potential to revolutionize the partnership dynamic between casinos and their charitable allies. As the current statutes stand, casinos and charities maintain a symbiotic relationship, each party benefiting from the revenue generated by the other. Yet, HB 1203 proposes an end to the burdensome rent that casinos levy on charities during game nights—rents that stretch up to $750, often slicing a charity’s winnings in half. This change is made palatable to casino owners by a recent uptick in the caps on table game bets—leaping from the modest sum of $10 to a more lavish $50, a blossoming of revenue that mitigates the need for rent charges.
On a parallel track, Senate Bill 472 beckons to the municipalities housing these gaming havens. This legislation flings open the doors to charities and now to the towns and cities themselves, granting them the opportunity to partake in up to 10 nights of charitable gaming per annum within each casino’s glittering walls. Take Nashua, a city cradling three such establishments; it could revel in up to 30 nights of such fundraising. Yet, there is a caveat etched into the bill’s depths: these municipal nights cannot usurp those designated for charities—municipalities can only claim these nights should the charities relinquish them—ensuring a delicate balance in the allocation of gaming nights.
A third contender enters the fray with Senate Bill 432—heralding an expansion of eligible charities whilst dipping its legislative fingers into the pockets of horse racing aficionados. The bill beckons a 1.5% state tax on horse race wagers placed electronically, with projected annual revenues adding a sweet $300K to state coffers.
Amidst this flurry of potential change looms the specter of legislation past: a moratorium on historic horse racing (HHR) is set to dissolve on July 1, 2024. HHR’s resemblance to slot machines—and their impressive revenue generation—compel contemplation. With two bills proposing the continuation of this moratorium, developed to moderate HHR’s impact, casino operators are rallying to maintain a cap on competition. Fourteen casinos await the right to host HHR, with five applications hanging in the balance—a stark contrast to the mere nine casinos across all the other New England states. Lawmakers, echoing the concerns of their constituents, fret about the dilution of revenue among too many HHR-hosting casinos.
Meanwhile, gaming tournaments are also caught up in the legislative whirlwind with House Bill 1549. This bill seeks to cap the withholdings on player entry fees, a change that primes the pump for potentially larger prize pools. While a 20% fee might seem negligible on a $100 buy-in, reducing the prize by a mere $20, a heftier $2,500 entry fee would see the prize pool plummet by $500 a player—a prohibitive slice that could deter the enthusiasm of high rollers. HB 1549 aims to restrict this fee to the lower of 20% or $250 per player, injecting greater incentive and possibly higher stakes into the flourishing tournament scene.
As the clock winds inexorably toward the April 11 deadline for approval, the palpable buzz of anticipation reverberates through the halls of the New Hampshire State House. Legislation that will chart the course of gambling for both the house and the generous-hearted inches closer to fruition, with a gambler’s blend of risk and reward threading through each proposed bill.
