Three New Hampshire House of Representatives’ Republican members have introduced a piece of legislation that would make online gambling legal in the state. A public hearing, which is to take place in the New Hampshire House Ways and means Committee, was scheduled for 10 AM on January 31st. Today, the Ways and means Committee will also discuss the 580-FN-A regarding daily fantasy sports.
The bill, called HB 562 was backed by Representatives Robert Fisher, Eric Schleien and Nick Zaricki. It was officially introduced at the beginning of January 2017 and then referred to the Ways and Means Committee.
In case that the bill is approved and comes into effect, it is expected to give the green light to the residents of New Hampshire to join the online casino market. If HB 562 comes into force, the effective date would be January 1st, 2018.
The HB 562 bill is titled Allowing Online Gambling. Although it is briefly and clearly expressed, it actually lacks some details, so according to some experts, it is hard to determine the purpose of the legislation. What is interesting, is the fact that the bill defers from the legislation that other states are trying to implement when it comes to online gambling legislation and regulatory framework.
For example, unlike the bills that some other states are discussing to date, the HB 562 does not intend to create a regulatory framework which would be related to online gambling websites being issued a licence and put in the regulatory framework of the state of New Hampshire. Unlike the online gambling legislation of other US states, the bill does not require that legal casino, poker, betting and gaming websites must be operated by companies that already exist in the state.
What HB 562 is aimed at, is simply making online gambling legal in the state of New Hampshire. In other words, if the bill gets the approval of the competent authorities as presently written, it would allow the state’s residents to play at online casinos and poker websites that already exist.
What is also different, compared to other bill around the country, is the fact that HB 562 predicts it might lead to a negative revenue in the state, as no licensing fees and taxes are planned to be applied. As already mentioned above, the Bill does not include any specifics on the matter, as it only aims at making online gambling legal in New Hampshire. However, it does not include the typical benefits and positive economic impact on the state’s businesses.
- Author
Daniel Williams
