» Gambling stumbles again :: NH Prime Cuts

Mar112009

Gambling stumbles again

Filed under Uncategorized by kevin landrigan at 1:40 pm

The State Senate later today will vote to table legislation to legalize gambling on slot machines at racetracks and resorts.

Supporters admit they came up around two votes shy of getting the 12-11 support needed to send a bill (SB 169) to the House of Representatives.

Several senators said they were reluctant to support gaming that could raise up to $200 million a year without knowing how much revenue they could need to write their own two-year state budget.

Procedurally, the move means that a week from now it will take a two-thirds vote or the support of 16 state senators to take up the matter.

Of course, there are tactical ways to get around that including slipping an expanded gaming provision into the House budget companion bill (HB 2) when that comes over later this spring.

All that having been said, gaming advocates wanted their cause to get through the much-easier legislative body this week and that clearly will not happen.

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