The 14 casinos in New Hampshire that support charitable groups may soon have the legal authority to replace their historical horse racing (HHR) terminals with conventional Las Vegas slot machines. 

Legislators in the Concord State House are weighing New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s (R) proposal to broaden gaming in the Granite State to boost funding for the various nonprofits supported by the casinos and the state. 

According to existing legislation, casinos can support a maximum of two charitable organizations daily, with 35% of the HHR and table game gross gaming revenue (GGR) mandated to be distributed to the nonprofits. The state gets 25%, while the casino keeps the other 40%. 

In her budget proposal earlier this year, Ayotte, the former United States senator who took office in January, requested the General Court to provide her with a bill to permit slot machines. Ayotte proposed that the state raise its share of gaming revenue to 30% in return for offering the more popular games. 

Legislators Consider Expansion 

New Hampshire’s charitable gaming sector supports roughly 800 nonprofits each year. Nonetheless, numerous smaller charities have expressed worries about having difficulty securing a spot on a casino’s schedule. 

New Hampshire permits a charity to act as a casino supporter for a maximum of 10 days annually. Last year, the five Revo Casino locations in Conway, Dover, Keene, Lebanon, and Manchester contributed more than $15 million in charitable donations to approximately 400 organizations. Revo provides an online application form for charities that wish to become recipients. 

Ayotte’s office thinks that allowing slots, which finish a play/spin approximately five seconds quicker than an HHR machine and have reduced overhead costs for casinos, might generate an extra $70 million in yearly nonprofit funding. State legislators, nonetheless, aim to guarantee that if New Hampshire permits slots or similar video lottery machines, charities that have voiced concerns about not getting calendar days are involved. 

The charities previously featured in a casino’s rotation report that the advantages are substantial. 

“It’s an amazing thing to get a check from charitable gaming and to say, ‘Maybe we can supplement our food this week.’ We know that we compete with everybody, all these amazing nonprofits for the same revenue, the same dollars,” Jane Goodman, executive director of the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter, told WMUR.

"The casino assigns us our dates, and then we just pick up our check. It’s pretty simple,” Goodman explained of the process.

In June 2023, the former governor. Chris Sununu (R) approved a law that raised the maximum bet for table games from $10 to $50. The legislation also raised the limit on how much a player could lose in one game from $150 to $2,500. 

iGaming Paused 

Earlier this year, legislators in New Hampshire looked at a bill to permit iGaming for the state, akin to retail and online sports betting. 

State Senator Tim Lang (R-Belknap) along with three additional Senate Republicans submitted Senate Bill 168. The law aims to permit the New Hampshire Lottery to grant three to six online casino licenses, taxing internet GGR at 45%. The tax would aid the elderly, disabled, visually impaired, and hearing impaired, along with special education. 

The Senate Ways and Means Committee voted against SB168.