New Hampshire State Senator Lou D’Allesandro (pictured) has again reportedly failed to get casino gambling legalized in the small eastern state after his latest measure went down courtesy of an 11-to-10 vote that crossed party lines.
According to a Sunday report from Watchdog.org, D’Allesandro has been attempting to bring casinos to ‘The Granite State’ ever since first being elected to the New Hampshire State Senate 20 years ago and had argued that his most recent attempt would lead to the state earning up to $150 million in additional annual tax revenues.
New Hampshire does not charge general sales or personal income taxes and D’Allesandro further purportedly contended that the state of just over 1.3 million people had lost out on approximately $1 billion in revenues during the past 20 years by not legalizing casinos. The Democrat’s proposal would have reportedly established a pair of ten-year licenses each costing $40 million while moreover instituting an associated $1.5 million renewal fee.
The measure from 79-year-old D’Allesandro would have also reportedly established a gaming enforcement unit within the New Hampshire State Police at a cost of about $2.1 million by 2022, although critics pointed to research that seemed to suggest casinos would lead to the New Hampshire Lottery Commission losing out to the tune of about $6 million a year.
Watchdog.org reported that D’Allesandro’s proposed legislation had been supported by Republican counterpart Harold French as he believed New Hampshire should follow the example of its neighbors by legalizing casinos.
“For 20 years we’ve had the opportunity to pass this great bill,” French reportedly told Watchdog.org. “For 20 years I’ve been going to Foxwoods [Resort Casino], all the way to Connecticut, to lose my money. Since we made that suggestion those many years ago, Massachusetts has accepted it, Maine has accepted it, Connecticut has accepted it and Rhode Island. The only people that didn’t listen to me were Vermont and we’re no Vermont.”
Following D’Allesandro’s most recent failure, New Hampshire State Senator Gary Daniels reportedly began proceedings that would have permanently killed the casino proposal. However, the Republican’s effort was purportedly thwarted by Democratic counterpart Dan Feltes with the measure now set to remain in limbo until the end of the current legislative session on June 30.