Casino foes give it their all in pitch to NH lawmakers

By DAVE SOLOMON
New Hampshire Union Leader

Published Mar 21, 2013 at 3:00 am (Updated Mar 20, 2013)

CONCORD - Opponents of expanded gambling in New Hampshire mustered their forces for a full-court press Wednesday, as a panel of prominent speakers took turns urging a roomful of lawmakers to vote against the idea at a well-attended forum across the street from the State House.

The informational luncheon for legislators at the Concord Holiday Inn was sponsored by the Granite State Coalition Against Expanded Gambling, and attracted about 200 state representatives and senators.

A representative of the N.H. Council of Churches said the idea was immoral. A former attorney general said it would destroy the New Hampshire way of life. A GOP national committee member and former state party chair said it would damage the state's brand as a tourist destination.

The former president of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation said it would "weaken the social capital that holds us together."

And a senior Democratic lawmaker with years of budget-writing experience said lawmakers shouldn't feel compelled to choose gambling over program cuts.

"Do not feel for a nanosecond that you have to support gambling to fund the programs you care about," said Marjorie Smith, D-Durham.

In response to questions after the presentation, lawmakers were told that gambling would have a corrosive effect on state politics, due to lobbying and campaign contributions by gambling interests; that gaming is declining in other states that had banked on it for big revenue; that the rooms and meals taxes the state relies on will decline; and that entertainment venues now operating in the state will see a 7 to 15 percent decline in revenues.

Former attorney general Phil McLaughlin, who served from 1997 to 2002, invoked retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter, recalling a letter from the New Hampshire jurist, who succeeded Warren Rudman as New Hampshire attorney general in 1976.

"He (Souter) felt of all the things that could happen in this state, that casino gambling would have the most destructive effect on the way of life in New Hampshire," McLaughlin said.

GOP activist Steve Duprey reminded Republicans in the room that opposition to expanded gambling is embedded in the GOP platform they were elected to represent. He described how casinos have had a damaging effect on the hospitality business in surrounding communities wherever they are located.

Lew Feldstein, former president of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and a member of the Governor's Gaming Study Commission, predicted the state would see 10,000 new gambling addicts and a spike in serious crime in the communities near the casino.

"Once it gets approved, and we have gambling, it will never go away," he said. "It will only grow and spread."

Smith, now in her eighth term as a state representative, said Gov. Maggie Hassan's position that gambling revenues are necessary to fund the state university system and many social services creates a false choice.

"If you are opposed to gambling, but support these programs, it's not either, or," she said.

For her part, Hassan said she intends to continue to push for one high-end, well-regulated casino along the border with Massachusetts, where at least three casinos will be licensed in the near future. In a briefing with reporters after the Executive Council meeting, as the anti-gambling luncheon was under way, the governor said the state cannot afford to walk away from $75 million a year once a casino is up and running, not to mention $80 million to $100 million in licensing fees to get started. "The people of New Hampshire support the priorities we've identified in our budget and they support one casino," she said. "It's really critical that we seize that opportunity in this window of time. Without doing so, we will lose $75 million a year."

dsolomon@unionleader.com

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joshua schwartz said:

$30 scratch tickets, bus trips to Foxwoods, multiple drawings of the daily number, charity poker and blackjack , simulcast horse and dog wagering , bingo in every church rectory and powerball drawings twice a week. These forms of gambling are acceptable in NH but a casino is taboo. Man after reading this article one would think that the world is about to come to an end. We need to pass SB 152 now. The ills associated with a casino that the anti gambling minority are touting are nothing but boogeyman scare tactics. They do not exist. We need jobs and revenue. I cannot afford higher taxes and fees. I am tapped out. The people of Salem have spoken. The senate has spoken . The people in our state have spoken. The Governor has spoken. Call or email your state rep. Tell them enough is enough. Please ask them to vote yes on SB 152.
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Neil Aitken said:

You don't fund social programs by generating more social problems! Kill [Senate] Bill 152
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Harrison Brown said:

Chicken Little predicted 100,000 new gambling addicts will be created.Give me a break!!!
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dennis buckley said:

Joshua Schwartz is right on....I would like the choice of spending my $100 on penny slots, enjoying a bite to eat, and having an enjoyable afternoon....I can play penny slots for an entire day on $100, and actually have a good chance of not spending it all...Go buy $100 worth of scratch tickets...tell me how long the fun lasts, and how fast you lose the $100..????
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Leo Paradis said:

"Immoral", "Destroy the NH way of life", "Damage the state's brand". What's the downside?
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paul cote said:

House approves medical marijuana bill......now read the column and comments again.. The fools in concord pass this but gambling is going to ruin NH.. I'm moving back to Mass.
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Lou Ouellette said:

The opposition to the Gaming Bill do not know what they hell they are talking about. One addresses a "decadent quality of life". Tell that to the folks living in Lydiard, Conn. Theie living standard is far superior to anything in NH. Another cites foreboding spikes in crime and social ills. Really? So even if such were fact in lieu of fiction NH folks will simply go to Salisbury or Lowell or Chelmsford to gamble and return home to Nashua or Merrimack, or Manchester and NH still pays the soical costs. Only difference is Mass keeps the revenues! Another cites damage to hospitality establishments where casinos are located. Totally ludicrous! How many hotel rooms do you think there are in Las Vegas sir?Bottom line of this whole affair is that Souter is on the side of the opposition! That alone tells me Casinos are the way to go. Soutere hasn't been correct on anything in 20 years!
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Lou Ouellette said:

We see the "holier than thou" opposition to casino gaming citing things like "it would damage the state's brand as a tourist destination" Really? is New Hampshire more of a tourist destination than Las Vegas ? Reno? Biloxi? Not even close. Another wails "It will weaken the Social Capital that holds us together"..How utterly hypocritical and arrogant to on the one hand, approve the sale of marijuana, pass abortion rights, approve gay marriage, erect liquor stores at the doors of all our neighboring states, allow dog racing, lottery tickets, bingo parlors then oin the other hand look to heaven with arms extended and say "It will ruin what holds us together! Class A Hogwash!
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Leo Paradis said:

Messrs Ouellette and Cote, and others, have hit the nail directly on the head. Concord NH should be called Cuckoo's Nest NH. Although legitimate asylums may object, and rightly so, to being grouped with Concord, NH in anything. At least they try.
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John Mercier said:

It won't pass muster until they void the monopoly.
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Greg Barrett said:

Do not listen to Rueben/Horn and their selfish friends who won't be happy till NH has broad based taxes and increased property tax burdens. Expanded gaming will allow out of state tourists to pay taxes for us.
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John Mercier said:

Greg Barrett... So why is it whenever a representative makes a proposal that will void a monopoly and pass constitutional muster, you and your friends don't jump right on support of the bill?
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George LeMont said:

David Winters sort of like Fast & Furious and Benghazi Libya eh? Dead people tell no tales though.
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George LeMont said:

This is our government now. Gambling and drug distribution. What could go wrong electing the mob to public office?
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Michael Raleigh said:

For those who are foes of casino's don't go. No one is forcing you to partake.
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Deb Nelson said:

People predicted NH would become the poster-child for organized crime when we started the 50/50 sweeps oh-so-many years ago. It's time to break away from the paranoia. Legalize it.
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Harrison Brown said:

Deb.....I'm with youEnough "CHICKEN LITTLE"
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John Mercier said:

David Winters... So how is a constitutional amendment at the federal level pertinent to the subject of the article? Michael Raleigh... Some are foes of the casino, but some of us realize that without an actual constitutional bill - it will simply wind up in court.
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Casino foes give it their all in pitch to NH lawmakers

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