By By Sophia Keshmiri Sentinel Staff

Copyright keenesentinel

Keene City Council action Thursday paves the way for the city to become the state’s third to enter into an agreement to receive funds from a charitable gaming facility.

City councilors voted 8-7 at Thursday’s meeting to enter into an agreement with Revo Casino and Social House, Keene’s sole casino. Councilors in favor said any little bit of extra revenue can help taxpayers, while those opposed cited ethical concerns over taking money from an entity the city regulates.

Councilors Betinna Chadbourne, Jacob Favolise, Randy Filiault, Phil Jones, Bryan Lake, Thomas Powers, Michael Remy and Catt Workman voted in favor of the measure.

Councilors Kate Bosley, Mitch Greenwald, Ed Haas, Andrew Madison, Kris Roberts, Laura Tobin and Bobby Williams voted against it.

Several Keene nonprofits already receive donations from Revo, but this would be the first time the city would get part of the cut.

Under the agreement, the city would get 35 percent of Revo’s profits from table games and a portion of the slot machine profit during the week of Dec. 17-26. City Manager Elizabeth Ferland previously said she expects this to amount to somewhere between $16,000 and $20,000, though it’s possible it could reach $25,000, according to Dick Anagnost, a Revo partner. There are no restrictions on how to spend the money, Ferland said, and councilors would have another discussion on allocating the funds at a later date.

Receiving funds from the casino first became possible in May 2024 when a state law went into effect allowing municipalities to receive donations from casinos within their borders. The state requires casinos, or charitable gaming facilities, to donate 35 percent of their profits from table games and a portion of the revenue from slot machines to charity.

Only two other towns, Hampton and Salem, have made use of the provision, according to the N.H. Lottery Commission. Anagnost said last Friday that this would be the first agreement Revo, which also has locations in other towns, enters into with a municipality.

Councilors Greenwald, Haas, and Madison expressed concerns that taking money from the casino could be a conflict of interest, especially since Revo is working through the city’s permitting process for a planned move from its current location on Emerald Street to Key Road.

Keene’s zoning board already approved a waiver to allow for the move earlier this month. Revo is scheduled to appear before the planning board on Sept. 29 for other permitting.

Greenwald suggested the city delay entering the agreement until after the permitting process.

Councilor Williams said he feels rather than allow municipalities to benefit from casinos within their borders, the city should be able to directly tax them.

Madison felt similarly. “My concern … is with the optics of how it looks with us having authority over that regulatory capacity to get money from them that is voluntarily given, as opposed to something like a fee or tax” that’s required, he said.

But for some councilors, the possible benefits outweighed the cons.

Councilor Jacob Favolise reiterated past statements he’s made. “We’re talking about, you know, $16,000, $20,000 in an environment for where every little bit that we’re not collecting through property taxes is helpful for us and helpful for our community,” he said.

“This is a recognition on the part of the state that there is a burden to one extent or another that hosting a charitable gaming facility places on a host community, and this is a way to offset that burden a little bit. … The negatives that come along with casinos are here in Keene no matter what. The question for us is, do we try to get a little bit of a positive return on them?”

Filiault said ethical arguments are a slippery slope; somebody could argue there are ethical reasons for the city to reject funds from alcohol sales and the meals and rooms tax, he noted.

“Nothing’s perfect. But I’ll tell you one thing that’s not perfect, that’s property taxes from a state that downshifts all the cost responsibility on us, which they’re doing again this year.”

According to the Revo Casino website, the company has donated more than $9.1 million to 255 nonprofits in the state this year between January and July.