Gambling in NH?

As legislators scramble to fix the budget mess they created, they might turn to expanded gambling to generate free money. Lauren Dorgan takes an extensive look at the chances of slot machines coming to New Hampshire next year in this morning's Concord Monitor:

The pro-gambling case has made inroads in the House and Senate over the past year. Last spring, a slot machine bill narrowly failed in the Senate; this fall, the House Ways and Means Committee voted 9-8 to recommend a bill to expand gambling. That's a tremendous change, said Jim Demers, a lobbyist who represents Millennium Gaming, the Las Vegas-based company that wants to install slot machines at Salem's Rockingham Park, a horse and dog racetrack.

"I think the actions of the House Ways and Means Committee, which is not considered an extremely pro-gambling committee, speaks volumes to the concerns legislators have as to how to deal with the budgetary process," Demers said.

We'll talk to Lauren tomorrow morning on the WGIR Morning News, where I'll be filling in for Charlie Sherman.