HB 531-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2025 SESSION
25-0847
02/08
HOUSE BILL 531-FN
SPONSORS: Rep. Ames, Ches. 13
COMMITTEE: Ways and Means
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ANALYSIS
This bill limits the amount which may be awarded to any one charity from historic horse race wagering and games of chance to $50,000, and provides that excess revenue shall be paid to the lottery commission.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
25-0847
02/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Pari-Mutuel Pools, and Distribution of Tax Thereon; Tax. Amend RSA 284:23, I(d) to read as follows:
(d) Each person, association, or corporation licensed to conduct historic horse race wagering shall collect a sum equal to 25 percent of revenues generated from historic horse race pari-mutuel pools after breakage and payment of winnings to patrons. Each licensee that conducts wagering on historic horse races shall distribute 35 percent of the amount collected under this paragraph to charitable organizations with whom the licensee contracts on each licensed game date, provided that no licensee shall distribute more than $50,000 of said collected amount in any calendar year to any single charitable organization. Any excess above such collected amount shall be paid to the lottery commission for use according to the special fund established under RSA 284:21-j. Charitable organizations from within the executive council district where the licensee is located shall be given preference, and no charitable organization shall be eligible for more than 10 dates of revenue under this section, within a 12 month period. Each licensee operating historic horse racing machines must contract with 2 licensed charitable organizations for each game date. The remainder of the total amount collected by the licensee under this paragraph shall be paid to the lottery commission for use according to the special fund established under RSA 284:21-j.
2 Games of Chance, Facilities. Amend RSA 287-D:19, III(f) to read as follows:
(f) No charitable organization shall receive less than 35 percent of the gross revenues from any games of chance minus any prizes paid, provided that no licensee shall distribute more than $50,000 of said revenues minus any prizes paid in any calendar year to any single charitable organization. Any excess above such collected amount shall instead be paid to the lottery commission for use according to the special fund established under RSA 284:21-j.
3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.
25-0847
1/8/25
HB 531-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED
FISCAL IMPACT:
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Estimated State Impact | ||||||
| FY 2025 | FY 2026 | FY 2027 | FY 2028 | ||
Revenue | $0 | Increase of Approximately $18,600,000 Per Year | ||||
Revenue Fund(s) | Lottery Fund/Education Trust Fund - Lottery revenue is credited to the lottery fund, with net revenues after expenditures being credited to the state education trust fund. | |||||
Expenditures* | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Funding Source(s) | None | |||||
Appropriations* | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Funding Source(s) | None | |||||
*Expenditure = Cost of bill *Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill | ||||||
METHODOLOGY:
This bill, effective July 1, 2025, limits the amount that may be awarded to any one charity from historic horse race (HHR) wagering and games of chance (GOC) to $50,000 and provides that excess revenue shall be paid to the Lottery Commission. Of the 698 charities that received HHR revenue, a total of 64 charities received more than $50,000, with an excess totaling nearly $4 million, and of the 815 charities that received GOC revenue, a total of 176 charities received more than $50,000, with an excess totaling over $14.6 million. Therefore, in total, this bill would increase state lottery revenue by approximately $18.6 million per year beginning in FY 2026.
For the foreseeable future, the Lottery Commission anticipates that revenue from HHR and GOC will continue to increase as new game rooms open and existing game rooms expand in size and offerings. This will likely result in more charities reaching the $50,000 cap and, as a result, more revenue being directed back to the Lottery Commission. Albeit unlikely, the excess could be reduced if charitable organizations partner with multiple game rooms thereby avoiding the per game room cap while still exceeding $50,000 overall.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Lottery Commission
| Date | Body | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 4, 2025 | House | Hearing |
| Feb. 19, 2025 | House | Exec Session |
| Feb. 21, 2025 | House | Exec Session |
| Feb. 19, 2025 | House | Floor Vote |
March 6, 2025: Inexpedient to Legislate: MA VV 03/06/2025 HJ 7
Feb. 25, 2025: Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate 02/19/2025 (Vote 19-0; CC) HC 14 P. 15
Feb. 12, 2025: ==CANCELLED== Executive Session: 02/21/2025 10:15 am LOB 203
Feb. 11, 2025: Executive Session: 02/19/2025 10:15 am LOB 201
Jan. 29, 2025: Public Hearing: 02/04/2025 10:30 am LOB 202-204
Jan. 14, 2025: Introduced (in recess of) 01/09/2025 and referred to Ways and Means HJ 3 P. 14