Poker parlors increasing; so is gambling revenue
Charities also share in profits
MILFORD, N.H. - In this the southern New Hampshire town, the former Violette's IGA has sat empty for nearly two decades. Now, a company has won Planning Board approval to fill the space with what it calls an ideal match: a poker parlor.
New Hampshire Charitable Gaming, a for-profit company, plans to host poker games in the former store six days a week, with 10 tables and space for 250 players.
"We want to be someplace where people want us, and this seems to be the perfect spot," said company president James Rafferty. The firm is also opening a poker parlor in nearby Brookline, at Big Bear Lodge.
Poker parlors are a booming business in New Hampshire following a change in state law. In 2006, the state Legislature voted to allow for-profit companies to operate games of chance at so-called poker parlors, requiring that at least 35 percent of profits go to a charity. Previously, the law required that charities themselves operate the games.
Since the change in the law, at least 12 companies have been licensed to run 16 poker parlors across the state, according to the New Hampshire Pari-Mutuel Commission.
An estimated $50 million a year is wagered on poker, according to the commission, and since January, New Hampshire charities have reported receipts of about $860,000 from the poker games.
As Massachusetts gears up for its own debate on gambling, New Hampshire increasingly is under pressure to expand its gambling options, for fear that gambling revenues could go to Massachusetts rather than staying in New Hampshire.
The Legislature this session is set to consider several bills that would permit slots at the state's racetracks, or casinos at North Country grand hotels.
Supporters of the poker parlors say they are a far cry from casinos. The maximum bet at any game is $2; poker tournaments are allowed to charge an entry fee of up to $250. Moreover, supporters of the poker games say that the for-profit companies are able to raise funds more efficiently for the charities, permitting larger payouts and less work for the charities.
But not every community has welcomed poker parlors. In Nashua, residents objected when New Hampshire Charitable Gaming proposed a poker parlor in a shuttered Catholic church. In Milford, too, some residents said the operation would have a negative effect on the community.
Gary Daniels, a state representative from Milford, said he opposed the poker parlor because he opposes the expansion of gambling in New Hampshire.
"This is part of an overall push in New Hampshire, as well as other states, to increase gambling, and a step toward that goes against my philosophy," he said, adding that he was not consulted by the Planning Board before its vote to approve the poker parlor.
Milford Planning Board officials said the opening of the poker parlor less than a mile from the town center was viewed as a potential economic boon.
"It could help out charities, and it could bring people into Milford who otherwise might not have come before," said Janet Langdell, the Planning Board vice chairwoman. "I would be a hypocrite if I opposed it; I have been known to lay a $2 dollar bet on a horse."
Milford Police Chief Fred Douglas said he was impressed with the plan of New Hampshire Charitable Gaming, and noted that the company planned to hire Milford police as security for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, when the tables are expected to be busy. Douglas said the company would reimburse the town for overtime paid to the officers.
Still, some area charities and nonprofit organizations have declined to partner with New Hampshire Charitable Gaming. Souhegan Home and Hospice Care, a nonprofit home-care agency, for one, opted out of the poker parlor proceeds.
Sarah Schweitzer can be reached at schweitzer@globe.com. 