Currently, in New Hampshire, many games, such as blackjack and poker, have a betting cap of $50. Soon, that cap may be extinguished by N.H. lawmakers to increase the state’s revenue.
With this cap being removed from state law, it would also allow slot machines to exist in casinos and other gaming halls. While slot machines are cheaper to operate than N.H.’s horse racing machines, they also are much faster, increasing revenue for the casino owners.
With about 3,300 horse racing machines in N.H., the plan is to gradually phase them out with more slot machines. By the end of the second budgeting cycle, most of the horse racing machines will be replaced, leaving only 500 left in the state with 4,000 slot machines taking their places.
Also, that second budgeting cycle would bring about $128 million in state revenue with an additional $70 million for nonprofits and charities, according to Valley News. These estimates are based on the assumption that the state will eliminate the wager limits. To compare, all of the N.H. horse racing machines only brought $28 million in revenue in 2024.
Without the cap for people to spend, those who are addicted could easily lose a lot of money. I have seen a slot machine before, and I can easily imagine someone spending a lot of time without realizing it, also making them oblivious to the amount of money they are losing. It’s like me with claw machines.
With the new slot machines, the addiction could spread farther and farther, risking ruining people’s lives. This is coming from the person who played blackjack for four hours during their after prom with fake money. Needless to say, I made a lot of paper that night.
There is a solution to this problem, though. Those who are aware of their addiction and want to stay away from casinos can request to be put on a casino’s exclusion list, which means they will not be allowed to gamble at that specific casino.
Yet, a bill that has passed the Senate wants to make the law that would make someone on the exclusion list be excluded from every casino in N.H., protecting the person from just going to another casino.
The minimum sports betting age has remained at 18 years old rather than being changed to 21. At least we know for a few years that younger gamblers will be sober while they gamble, so at least they know what decisions they are making.
N.H. has had a problem with gambling addictions. According to the New Hampshire Gambling Addiction Hotline, more than 23,500 people in the state suffer from gambling problems. Furthermore, the hotline had a 50% increase in calls since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. They received 439 calls in 2024, more than doubling their 205 calls from 2021.
Along with this increase in calls, N.H. made $23.7 million in 2023, but made $35.2 million in 2024, according to the New Hampshire Lottery Commission. It shows the fact that gambling has become a bigger problem in N.H., and the problem seems to be increasing.
The elimination of the betting cap, as well as the introduction of slot machines in N.H., could lead to serious gambling problems. While slot machines will bring in a lot of people, they can be extremely addicting, leaving the question of what the state prioritizes: Its revenues or its people?
Hayley Doda can be contacted at
hayley@kscequinox.com
