Opinion: New Hampshire Must Kill Senate Bill 112 and Protect Free Market Competition in the Gaming Business
Senate Bill 112 needs to die. The bill, which would put a moratorium in place on the issuance of new gaming licenses in New Hampshire, would effectively prevent any new entry into the casino gaming business, curbing competition and giving an advantage to existing operators who won’t have to compete against new innovations and improved customer experience that could come from a new entrant into the market. The proponents of Senate Bill 112 [SB 112] say that the moratorium is needed because of market saturation. If that’s a valid reason to prevent a new business from opening in New Hampshire, then they ought to also enact a law that puts a moratorium on the opening of any new Dunkin’ Donuts in New Hampshire, since there are over 220 Dunkin’ Donuts locations in the State compared to just 14 operators of casino gaming. In a natural business cycle, new entrants will come into the market and those already in the market have to adapt to stay competitive. By preventing this competition, the co