The state of New Hampshire are celebrating this morning after news broke last night the Concord State Senate voted 16-8 in favour of a new casino.
The state senate have approved the building of a new casino, but before supporters of the project get too carried away the bill will have to be passed by the House which will not be so straightforward. Over the years in Concord similar bills have passed the early voting stage, but all have been rejected by the House who reject such bills at will it seems.
In total the bill received support from both Democrats and Republicans last night, including Senator David Watters who has been opposed to the plans in the past. Senator Watters said, “This vote for me is not about whether in some hypothetical vision of New Hampshire I like or dislike gambling. This vote is about a state that needs education funding, aid to municipalities and a crucial transportation system for economic development.”
Another supporter of the project is Governor Maggie Hassan, and she hopes the project will get the final go ahead as well, as she is concerned that New Hampshire are falling behind their near neighbours Massachusetts and could be losing in the region of $75million per year if the project does not go ahead. Hassan said, “Without this revenue and without beginning to restore the devastating cuts of the last budget, we will risk falling behind economically.”
Massachusetts have recently legalized three casinos and a slots parlour, so if the Senator's and Governor’s of New Hampshire want to keep their state on an even financial keel it would be in their best interests to give the bill the go ahead, though history tells us it does not look good. Only time will tell of course, but we live in a forever changing world and perhaps now is the time for New Hampshire to step in line with its neighbouring states.
