New Hampshire's Lottery Commission Says It Needs Expanded Gambling

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It takes no more than simple math to see the Lottery’s problem.

The state budget says the lottery should raise nearly 86 million dollars this year.

But Lottery officials say they’re on track to raise only 79.5 million, about 6 million dollars less.

Rick Wisler, executive director of the lottery, says there’s no more money to be made in instant tickets or even Powerball.

He says it’s time for the state to look at other options.

Included in that discussion for the legislature to consider is whether or not they want the lottery to be running keno as do about another dozen states do around the country and/or whether or not they want us to be involved in video lottery terminals.

Lottery officials blame the tough economy for the revenue shortfall.

They say higher prices for food, gasoline, and heating fuels are conspiring to strip disposal income from many lottery players.

But Bill Thompson sees it differently.

He’s a professor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas who’s written several books about gambling.

Thompson says economics are only part of the reason people don’t buy lottery tickets.

Also players get bored with the games and you need new games to stimulate the old players to make sure they keep playing.

Lotteries try to keep ahead of the boredom by introducing new games.

Just last year, New Hampshire officials got lawmakers to authorize a 30 dollar instant ticket to achieve greater jackpots to stimulate more player activity.

But now officials say that step wasn’t enough.

New Hampshire’s gambling opponents say they’ve heard enough.

Herb Hansen co chairs the Granite State Coalition Against Expanded Gambling.

He says he knows the State senate has recently considered a gambling bill to help balance the state’s budget.

But Hansen says that bill or one like it has come up all too often.

I’ve been in this organization since 1991. And every year, they’ve said they can’t make the budget, they’ve got to have something new. We got to have an income tax. They didn’t get an income tax and they didn’t get any gambling, and yet they made the budget, or they made do or they got through it somehow. And I’d suggest they get through it this year, too.

Lottery officials say they’ve floated the idea for expanded gambling options because Governor Lynch asked them to raise a lot more money.

They say they’re projected to raise 100 million dollars in 2009, and that they can’t do that with the games they presently have.

The governor’s spokesman, Colin Manning, says Governor Lynch did talk with lottery officials about raising more money.

But Manning says those talks never included keno or video lottery terminals.

The governors discussions have been focused on looking at marketing, looking at sales, looking at the overall structure of the lottery system as a way to increase their revenues, not an expansion of gambling.

Last week, the State Senate did consider a bill to bring video lottery machines to the state.

Rhode Island already has them.

And Massachusetts has long had Keno.

Still, Senators voted to table the measure rather than vote on it.