Sports betting is currently a hot topic in several states in the US as lawmakers try to find new ways to bring in money to meet budget shortfalls. In New Hampshire, legislation has been under discussion that would legalize the industry, yet a senator stood in the way of the bill moving forward. Senator Lou D’Allesandro has now reportedly decided to back down from his fight to include a casino expansion in the sports betting bill to allow the measure to move forward.
No More Fighting
Senator D’Allesandro spoke with Legal Sport Report recently, stating that he will stop trying to attach casino language H 480 in an attempt to see a casino expansion in the state with sports betting efforts. The House has not been accepting of the subject matter and he is choosing to step aside so the sports betting bill of the state will not die alongside his casino efforts.
In the past, the senator tried to see two casinos authorized in New Hampshire. The state is one of just a few that does not have casino gaming. The senator has been trying since 1999 to see casinos come to New Hampshire, failing every time.
The senator tried this time to attach sports betting to the measure, and the House shot him down yet again. The proposal failed with a vote of 289-63. The House then voted to indefinitely postpone the casino bill. This basically was their way of telling the Senator that there is no reason to keep trying with the casino measure as they are not going to approve it.
Moving Forward
Now that casino gaming is not in the mix, the senator expects the Senate to move a bill forward involving sports betting in the next few days. Before a vote can take place, Senator Bob Guida plans to amend the bill for sports betting only. If this occurs, the will have to be approved in the House before moving on to the governor’s desk for final approval.
The governor of New Hampshire, Chris Sununu is in favor of sports betting. It is expected that he will sign legislation into law. The governor has already included $10 million in the state budget to be generated from sports betting.
For now, Senator D’Allesandro will have to settle for sports betting as the form of gambling available in the state. The senator has stated that he has plans to continue the fight for casino gaming, but the process is lengthy and without full support will take some time, if ever seen to fruition.
If the state is able to pass sports betting legislation, they will be one of several to get in on the new industry. Tennessee and
