Update on gambling: Movement in Massachusetts

It may be NH Primary Day, but that doesn't mean state policy questions are taking the day off.

The New Hampshire House is set to vote soon on the latest proposal to legalize casinos. Gov. Lynch has promised to veto any bills that allows expanded gambling, but the current bill has earned the support of House leadership. In addition, the recent decision by Massachusetts lawmakers to legalize casinos in that state has raised the stakes in New Hampshire's gambling debate.

With that in mind, the Center has revised its model analyzing the potential economic impact of expanded gambling in New Hampshire and the development of one or more casinos across the border in Massachusetts. The findings are detailed in our latest Policy Note, which you can find here, and is an update to our earlier work on expanded gambling in 2010.

Our models continue to suggest that expanded gambling would bring a net economic benefit to the state –- in terms of economic development and state revenues –- even with new casinos in Massachusetts and after offsetting costs associated with pathological gambling. However, our model does not account for the potential negative effects of expanded gambling on New Hampshire’s “brand” and attractiveness as a destination for tourists and others. Nor does it consider the question of the proliferation of gambling activities or any political concerns associated with a single industry or organization playing a large role in financing the state’s activities.

Read more here.

Comments

[Allan Berggren]

New Hampshire must earn an honest buck, even if a broad-based tax is required. We cannot expect to continue preying on people's weakness and false hopes through lottery and gambling.