Casino and charity revenue distribution could see overhaul under new legislation

By SRUTHI GOPALAKRISHNAN

Monitor staff

Published: 01-22-2025 4:23 PM

With New Hampshire’s gaming industry fast approaching a billion-dollar market, lawmakers are pushing to establish a new commission to take a deeper dive into the state’s charitable gaming model — this time with a 10-year purview.

The move comes after last year’s commission struggled to cover all the issues in the limited time it had.

“We are already late in addressing many, many issues in this sort of astonishing rise of machine gambling in New Hampshire. So the sooner the better,” Rep. Dick Ames, a Jaffrey Democrat, said on Wednesday while speaking at the legislature about his House Bill 328.

If the bill passes, it would establish a 15-member committee that would include senators, state representatives, citizens, a game operator, a charity representative, the lottery commission’s executive director and a representative from the attorney general’s office.

Together, they would tackle issues such as problem gambling while also examining whether the current system for managing and distributing funds from games of chance and historical horse racing needs a major revamp.

One major concern repeatedly raised during last year’s commission meetings was the lack of transparency surrounding how charities spend the funds they receive. Currently, charities and nonprofits in New Hampshire aren’t required to report to the state how the money is used — even when individual organizations collect over $100,000 from casino events.

The committee would also look at ways to prevent gaming locations, facilities and ownership from becoming overly concentrated and consider giving municipalities the power to opt in or out of certain aspects of charitable gaming.

The potential introduction of slot machines alongside or instead of historical horse racing machines already in use will also be a part of the committee’s charge.

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Rep. Dennis Malloy, a Greenland Democrat who is a board member of two nonprofits involved in charitable gaming, suggested the commission evaluate the selection process for charities.

Right now, casinos have full discretion in choosing which organizations to support, with no state regulations guiding the process.

The head of The Brook in Seabrook, New Hampshire’s largest operational casino, told the Monitor they “prioritize hyper-local organizations.” However, many nonprofits say they’ve never made it onto a casino’s gaming schedule, even once, since the charitable gaming program began.

For instance, the Mount Washington Valley Adult Day Center in Conway has not been scheduled at any casino, while the New Hampshire Police Association Pipes and Drums received approximately $50,000 in 2023.

Rep. Fred Doucette, a Salem Republican and cosponsor of the bill, noted that some charities have been involved for several years, building their services on revenues generated through gaming. He said deciding the way to allocate funds will be a “balancing act.”

“It’s going to be labor intensive, bipartisan, and everybody has to have equitable buy-in because of the scope of gaming,” said Doucette. “At this point, every charity in the state wants to get involved, and rightfully so let’s see how we can best deliver those dollars.”

 

Sruthi Gopalakrishnan can be reached at sgopalakrishnan@cmonitor.com