Granite State Taxpayers (GST) opposes Senate Bill 242 establishing casino gambling in New Hampshire.
The bill provides for two casinos in New Hampshire and a significant expansion of the State government bureaucracy to oversee the gaming activity, enforce gambling laws, receive and distribute license fees and pay for prevention and treatment of “problem gamblers”.
“After years of economic stagnation that impacts the earning potential and take home pay of our citizens, it’s incomprehensible that our Legislature is considering the establishment of a monopoly for private companies to take money from the pockets of taxpayers on behalf of the state.” said Ray Chadwick, Chairman of the Granite State Taxpayers Board of Directors.
SB 242 is 91 pages long. The average person, including many in the Legislature, would struggle to fully understand the implications of the bill and its costs.
Buried in SB 242 is authority to provide treatment and rehabilitation of persons who are problem gamblers. It provides authority for paying for experts in the area of oversight activities, and to accept special grants or money or services from the federal or state governments or any of their agencies and may accept gifts to carry on the functions provided for.
SB242 will benefit certain groups such as government bureaucrats, state police, Towns and Counties where a casino might be sited, and certainly those who will provide services to be required and the expertise needed to fulfill the new responsibilities for monitoring and regulating casinos.
Once established, gaming businesses in New Hampshire will surely rely on lobbyists to secure and expand their influence in the Legislature, likely providing a lucrative employment for those who have worked and voted to secure a foothold in New Hampshire for their business.
Casinos are known to cause social and other costs that make their financial contribution to the state questionable. The money to pay for all of these special interests and issues will come directly from taxpayers. SB242 will establish new bureaucracies and state-sponsored monopolies that will take money out of the pockets of citizens and transfer it to favored groups.
“Granite State Taxpayers stands for taxpayers and for frugal, limited government. Casino gambling is an industry which will expand State bureaucracy and lead to a variety of unwanted consequences. It’s a bad choice for the State of New Hampshire.” said Chadwick.
Click here to read the text of SB242.
Granite State Taxpayers is New Hampshire’s oldest statewide taxpayer association. Founded in 1990 by former Governor Mel Thomson and former State Senator George Lovejoy, our mission is to inform, educate and motivate New Hampshire taxpayers and to influence the legislature on their behalf.
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