Hemingway Offers Alternative Expanded Gaming Proposal

While officials in New Hampshire are debating, once again, the notion of expanding gambling in the state, a Republican gubernatorial candidate is offering an alternative idea that both raises revenue for the state and limits that amount of outside influence into the process.

Instead of one or two destination casinos run by Las Vegas, Andrew Hemingway’s idea is to permit existing charitable establishments to have up to 150 machines, with revenue shared by the state, charities, businesses, and municipalities.

“I think that this is something which is very important from the state’s perspective to be able to take on and challenge,” he said.

Currently, there are eight full-time charitable gaming facilities in the state that brought in $4.8 million for the charities and $1.3 million to the state. Hemingway proposes allowing those eight entities to have 150 slot machines each. Another 50 permits for slot machines would be available to other facilities but managed by the eight existing facilities. Those machines could be moved seasonally around the state and be used by other facilities like the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.

Using a rough estimate of $150 per machine, per day, with 1,600 machines, Hemingway estimates that more than $87 million would be raised. That money would be split with 38 percent going to the house/hosting facility, 35 percent going to the charity, 25 percent going to the state, and 2 percent to municipalities. Currently, the house/hosting facilities receive 55 percent of the take. 

Hemingway, who opposes the current expanded gambling plan for two large destination casinos, said allowing expanded gambling at charitable institutions would also limit the social ills and cost of those ills. He added that charitable gaming already has “low visibility” and approved by the municipalities where they exist currently.

Hemingway called the proposal a “free market approach” and uniquely “a New Hampshire solution.” He didn’t have an estimate on how many jobs would be created but regulation by the state would be done from existing state employees

A number of people connected to charitable institutions or the businesses that assist the charities came out in favor of the proposal.

Anthony Fusco, of Ocean Gaming Casino in Hampton Beach, commended Hemingway and called the proposal important to helping both the existing businesses and the charities.

“This proposal is 100 percent helpful to everybody,” he said, “as we try to help each other. It helps the state, it helps the charities, and it also helps the gaming operators.”

Joel Weinstein the recorder of the Bektash Shriners in Concord, which currently runs an all-volunteer bingo operation, said the games have helped the community and the Shriners Hospital. Expanding the operations would help everyone, he said.

“We think that keeping any sort of gaming in New Hampshire, for New Hampshire, for the communities, is something that will benefit us in the long run,” Weinstein said. “New Hampshire is noted for doing it ourselves … we don’t need some big corporation coming in and operating it.”

Robert O’Connell, of the My Friend’s Place Shelter in Dover, also came out in support of the proposal noting that casinos would draw away money from the charitable operations that support the shelter. He estimated that the shelter would receive about $26,000 more annually from Hemingway’s proposal. 

Check out all of the Patch 2014 campaign coverage in our Elections section.