New Hampshire HB 1531: requiring applicants for games of chance facilities licensees and game operator employer licensees to enter into host community agreements with municipalities.

Bill Text

HB 1531-FN - AS INTRODUCED

2026 SESSION

 26-2652

 08/09

HOUSE BILL 1531-FN

AN ACT requiring applicants for games of chance facilities licensees and game operator employer licensees to enter into host community agreements with municipalities. 

SPONSORS: Rep. Ohm, Hills. 10; Rep. Almy, Graf. 17; Rep. Telerski, Hills. 11; Rep. Juris, Hills. 7; Rep. Elberger, Hills. 5; Rep. Kuttab, Rock. 17; Rep. Scully, Hills. 8; Rep. Oppel, Graf. 9; Rep. Turcotte, Straf. 4; Rep. B. Boyd, Hills. 12; Sen. Rosenwald, Dist 13

COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government 

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ANALYSIS

 This bill requires applicants for games of chance facility licenses and game operator employer licenses to enter into host community agreements with the municipalities in which they will operate games of chance.

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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 Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

 26-2652

 08/09

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

AN ACT requiring applicants for games of chance facilities licensees and game operator employer licensees to enter into host community agreements with municipalities. 

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 1 Statement of Purpose. The general court recognizes that charitable gaming establishments have a disproportionate impact on the municipalities in which they are located and that it is in the public interest for the operators of these establishments to mitigate strain on municipal resources and infrastructure. Therefore, charitable gaming establishments should be required to enter into host community agreements with host municipalities to address these impacts. 

 2 New Section; Host Community Agreement Required. Amend RSA 287-D by inserting after section 4-a the following new section: 

 287-D:4-b Host Community Agreement Required. 

 I. In this section: 

 (a) “Applicant” means an applicant for a facilities license or a game operator employer license under this chapter, whether for initial licensure or any license renewal. 

 (b) “Host community” means a municipality, including a city, town, or unincorporated place, where an applicant for a game operator employer license or a facilities license is located or proposes to locate to conduct any game of chance. If an applicant for a game operator employer license or a facilities license is situated or proposes to be situated in 2 or more municipalities, each shall be a host community for purposes of this section. 

 II. Before applying to the commission for licensure for initial licensure or any license renewal, an applicant shall negotiate a host community agreement with the selectboard, aldermen, city council, or county delegation of a host community. A host community agreement shall be negotiated in good faith and shall address the reasonably foreseeable impacts of a charitable gaming operation on the host community, providing terms by which the applicant will avoid, minimize, and mitigate such impacts. At a minimum, the host community agreement shall accommodate any and all needs of the host community that may foreseeably arise or increase because of a charitable gaming operation, such as included in the following non-exhaustive list: 

 (a) Inquiries or complaints from the public and the host community’s ability and capacity to respond promptly; 

 (b) The host community’s emergency response capacity; 

 (c) The host community’s infrastructure, including but not limited to roads and utilities; 

 (d) The provision of security to support local law enforcement; 

 (e) The exchange of information between the applicant and the host community; 

 (f) Promoting the hiring of residents, suppliers, and vendors from the host community; and 

 (g) Any other matters at the discretion of the host community. 

 III. Prior to execution, the selectboard, aldermen, city council, or county delegation, as applicable, shall provide notice of the host community agreement in at least 2 public places in the host community, on the website of the host community, and by publication in a newspaper of general circulation. The notice shall include a fair, concise summary of the host community agreement, identify where the full host community agreement will be available for inspection, and explain the method and deadline by which the public may submit comments related to the host community agreement. Contemporaneously with the publication of such notice, a copy of the host community agreement shall be made available for public inspection on the host community’s website and at least