Casino gambling (continued)

Budget Expansion

In past years, the main Republican influence on casino bills were to use the additional revenue to offset taxes rather than increase spending. Business tax rates in this state are among the highest in the country, and shifting those taxes to an industry that seems more than willing to pay them appeals to many. The Republican plaform says Republicans will "[r]eject expanded casino and video lottery gambling as a means to balance the budget or increase spending." I cannot support a gambling bill that violates this plank.

There is support in Pembroke and Chichester for expanded gambling, including the bills that have failed in previous years. From the conversations I have had, that support is based on the provisions that would cut the Business Profits and Business Enterprise taxes.

Additional Thoughts

Gambling in New Hampshire is something of a mess. There is a legal State-run lottery and legal charity casinos. There are Friday night poker games that, while illegal, are generally tolerated. There are slot machines pizza parlors are also illegal, generally not tolerated. There are friendly office pools for major sporting events, as well as not-so-friendly ways to bet on other sporting events. The current system hardly seems fair or even consistent.

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