FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEToday the House of Representatives voted on HB 593 which, in its original form, would have permitted two casinos in New Hampshire. Thankfully, New Hampshire’s family-friendly and business-friendly brand was preserved with the defeat of HB 593 (226 against to 118 in favor). Cornerstone stood with New Hampshire’s families in declaring that the economic costs associated with gambling were simply too high. The costs such as crime, additional law enforcement costs, gambling addiction treatment costs and lost worker productivity are staggering and often exceed a state or community’s total revenues from gambling. The social costs of gambling are just as staggering with increases in divorce, suicide, bankruptcy, child abuse and domestic violence. Cornerstone also stood with New Hampshire’s small business community in declaring that existing businesses would be hurt because gambling would siphon away discretionary dollars that would have been spent at local, mom-and-pop shops. Local restaurants and hotels have earned their business in our state by refining their offerings to customers and adapting to their communities over time. Expanded gambling, on the other hand, would have granted state-sanctioned, monopolies to out-of-state businesses at the expense existing, local businesses. Voters will surely thank their legislators in November who voted in favor of New Hampshire’s family-friendly and business-friendly environment by opposing expanded gambling. |