Governor to Veto Gambling Bill
April 20, 2010
Gov. John Lynch said Friday that he would veto a bill to legalize video slots in New Hampshire if it reached his desk. The House is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a Senate bill to allow the gambling operations at six sites in New Hampshire, including two on the Massachusetts border.
But Mr. Lynch, a Democrat, said he would veto both the Senate bill and one proposed in the House that scales back the number of sites to five. The governor said the House version was not an improvement.
But he did not entirely rule out expanded gambling in New Hampshire. He said he wanted to review a report by a gambling commission he appointed last year to study the issue and analyze possible gambling models for the state. The commission report is due by early May.
If the House kills the Senate bill, gambling supporters could revive the measure during negotiations to close a projected $220 million budget shortfall by July 2011. |
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