Industry News
"I definitely favor gambling coming to the dog track," Selectman Brendan Kelly said. "Ultimately, it's going to be some place, and it could be nearby in Massachusetts. If it's going to happen, let it happen here, and let's get a part of it."
Kelly's policy position was mirrored by his fellow selectmen, Bob Moore and Dick McCann. Although all three men favor casino gambling at Seabrook's Route 107 dog track, all three also expect a piece of the action for the city.
A Town Benefit
"There are a certain group of people who are gamblers," Moore said. "If they're going to gamble, we might as well get it here and have the town benefit from it."
According to McCann, gambling as a way to recoup some of the money Seabrook loses every year when the state utility tax takes a big piece of the nuclear power plant taxes to fund education.
"I see the gambling as a way for us to get back what the state took from us when they taxed the power plant," McCann said.
The selectmen said they'd be willing to consider placing a nonbinding referendum question on the warrant to see what residents think about gambling, as Salem, N.H., has done twice. Voters there indicated they wouldn't mind if Rockingham Park expanded its gambling options to include video gaming machines along with horse racing.
Many in the state believe broadening the scope of gambling options will bolster the Granite State's quality of life.
The state already also offers lottery games, mostly for sale through convenience stores. Along with TriState Megabucks, there's PowerBall and a bevy of instant-win scratch tickets.
According to State Rep. Al Weare, R-Seabrook, he supports expanded gaming through slot machines at the local track, and he uses much the same reasoning as the selectmen.
In his first term of office, Democratic Gov. John H. Lynch appeared to be against expanding gambling at the state's racing venues, but may be moderating his stance, experts said.
© Copyright 2007 Online Casino Crawler This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
