New Hampshire’s gaming sector is enjoying steady growth, leading to more money for charities. At the same time, critics are wary of the suboptimal oversight of how the charity money is managed, arguing that stricter control is needed.
Critics Say That There Is No Sufficient Oversight
Under New Hampshire’s casino regulations, casinos have to partner with two non-profit organizations for each day they operate. Charity organizations are allowed to participate for no more than ten days a year and must have a valid nonprofit status in order to be eligible for the program.
While this sounds good on paper, New Hampshire and its casino operators do not actually check how the money ends up being spent. This lack of oversight has led to concerns regarding the state’s charity gaming system.
According to a recent investigation, one nonprofit called Concord Coach Society received over $250,000 from the casino sector. As it turns out, the organization is tied to an ex-House speaker and gambling lobbyist. To make matters worse, the investigation discovered little evidence of actual charitable activity.
As gambling revenues continue to increase, the concerns about how its donations are spent are growing louder.
Lawmakers Cannot Agree on How to Proceed
One proposal to prevent money from being misused is reducing the number of gaming days per charity from 10 to 7. This will effectively allow more nonprofits to participate in the program, with each receiving a smaller sum. Supporters argue that this way, a few organizations will no longer be able to capitalize on New Hampshire’s gaming program.
At the same time, this proposal does not tackle the core of the issue, since it does not introduce enhanced oversight of where the money goes and how it is spent.
While some said that the state must intervene and distribute charitable gaming funds fairly, others were wary of such intervention, arguing that it would need to judge charities and pick winners and losers.
Others argued that casinos should not be the ones in charge of overseeing charity funds due to the nature of their businesses and the fact that they prioritize charities that are familiar to them.
As the New Hampshire casino industry prepares to hit $1 billion in revenue, no solution seems to be in sight, with disagreements about the future of charitable gaming regulations continuing to this day.
In other news, lawmakers are currently eyeing opportunities for online casino gaming in New Hampshire.