The Senate meets Thursday morning to weigh in on roughly 30 bills, including one touching a frequent topic at the State House in recent years: gambling.
The bill on the table looks to bring casino gambling to New Hampshire. The measure originally specified Rockingham Park in Salem as the sole location for a proposed casino, but in hopes of gaining more support, its backers amended the bill to make any potential location subject to an open bid process.
Several casino bills have cleared the Senate in recent years, but none has ever passed in the House. Already this year, the House has killed a proposal that aimed to bring slot machines to restaurants and bars.
Gov. Maggie Hassan has supported gambling in the past, as well as Keno, a form of electronic bingo. A measure looking to legalize Keno has already passed the House and is currently being reviewed in a Senate committee. If signed into law, the bill would allow Keno in places with liquor licenses, but the game will remain prohibited from convenience stores and gas stations.
Currently Vermont and New Hampshire are the only two states in New England that haven't legalized casino gambling
