Critical Gambling Vote in New Hampshire Gains Momentum

According to recent United States gambling news, as the vast majority of the states in the U.S. begin to vote individually on their own gambling laws, what began as a simple vote on whether to legalize gambling in New Hampshire, could now be vetoed after a long and winding road.

Since it was originally proposed, the New Hampshire bill has changed in content, adding two additional casinos for a total of four casinos being legalized. It is rumored that this addition is in part due to Massachusetts lawmakers upgrading their own bill, in a bid to get ahead in the race across the Eastern board for gamblers.

Due to a delay in the voting on the bill, New Hampshire found the time to make amendments to the bill before the bill went to vote past week. Candace Bouchard, a representative in favor of the bill, had the following to say regarding the additional two casinos: “What we have is known as the ‘NH advantage, the advantage that brings Massachusetts consumers to our state.”

In short, the advantage is gained by having a greater number of casinos across your state, and certainly more so than any of your neighboring Eastern seaboard states. Most states have gamblers who wish to see casinos permitted within their chosen state, although at the moment, only Pennsylvania has really stood out above the rest in terms of gambling success.

The fear is that with Massachusetts almost certainly able to steal clients from other already ratified casinos, that New Hampshire will be left behind. New Jersey and Connecticut are currently the two North Eastern states that hold the biggest casino revenue drop-off, owing thanks to their neighboring states rapid expansion over recent years.

The bill is believed to only pertain to the future of casino based gambling, with no mention of online poker sites in United States or online casinos. Something that is also an issue across several of the states at the moment.

With the global recession biting down hard, and unemployment rising, the legalization of casinos would certainly bring about much needed work in the various states, along with an excellent source of revenue, with millions of dollars in tax. However, there is a very good chance that it will never see the light of day.

The house vote is expected to be vetoed by Governor John Lynch, so in order to be successful, the bill would have to secure to two thirds majority. Something that seems most unlikely given the current mood surrounding the casino legalization program, and the even less popular legalization of online casinos in United States.

Alternatively, a federal change in the American gambling laws, would work for New Hampshire. But again, at the moment this looks out of the question, and would also benefit their neighboring states.