Group
calling for slot machines at Rockingham
Park says approval would
spur a $450 million upgrade followed by $200 million in state revenue a year
“Fix It Now New Hampshire,” a group calling for video slot
machines at Rockingham Park race track in Salem, N.H., says the move will
bring $200 million a year to the state’s treasury.
As
reported in theNew Hampshire Union Leader
newspaper,the group said that if the
Legislature acts before June, what it calls “limited gaming” machines
would be up and running within seven months at a temporary facility on track
property.
Millennium Gaming, which holds the
option to purchase the track, plans to begin a two-year $450 million upgrade if
slots are approved.
The coalition said the boost in attendance
and revenue would also allow Rockingham to reintroduce thoroughbred racing, which it
ended five years ago. The track would continue running a Texas Hold’em poker
room that hosts games to benefit charities.
With Massachusetts bringing back plans
to open state-run casinos, it’s urgent for New Hampshire to act quickly and establish
customer loyalty, the group urged.
Bills introduced so far in the
New Hampshire Legislature also call for casinos in the North Country,
and legalized slots at dog tracks.
Slots Would be a Boon to N.H., Racetrack
December 10, 2008
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