The stakes are being raised and the chips are stacking up high in favor of renewed efforts to bring gambling and casinos into New Hampshire. The NH House Bill HB593 will be debated this week and has brought out of state and off-shore heavy hitters to Concord to secure lobbyists to pave the way through what they consider favorable conditions for passage.
Millenium Gaming, doing business as Cannery Casino Resorts has hired Robert Blaisdell, James Demers, and Thomas Prasol, of Demers and Blaisdell Inc of Concord, to act as their lobbyists in favor of HB593. According to NH Secretary of State documents Casablanca Casino LLC has secured the services of Rick G. Newman for the same purpose. Casablanca has the same address as Newman according to documents, but rolls their dice in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
By coincidence Newman is the Lobbyist for Potts Gaming LLC which recently acquired the Lodge at Belmont where Newman is cited as the General Manager. Potts Gaming also owns a company called Elite Gaming which operates in...you guessed it, the Turks and Caicos.
New Hampshire Gaming and Entertainment out of Chicago is represented in NH by Dupont, Monahan, Barry, and Paschell of the Dupont Group in Concord.
As if Millenium did not have enough representation through it's Cannery operations, the owner himself, William Wortman, has hired Lucy C. Hodder as his personal Lobbyist.
Representative D.J. Bettencourt from Salem and State Senator Nancy Stiles have both supported the bill that may allow gaming in Rockingham Park (Bettencourt) and Hampton Beach Casino (Stiles).
Opponents of the bill have stated that the monopoly of casinos would detract from the 300 charities in NH which raise revenue by gambling events and invite a criminal element into the state.
Who is writing NH Laws and for what interests?
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