New Hampshire has traditionally opposed most forms of online gambling, but recent changes in state gaming laws have expanded the range of legal gambling options. Most notably, New Hampshire recently legalized in-person and online sportsbetting and online lottery sales.
Online sports betting in New Hampshire is legaland available through DraftKings only. The state lottery manages sports betting and selected DraftKings as its first (and for now, only) partner to operate retail sportsbooks and legal online sports betting in NH.
Other forms of legal online betting in New Hampshire include daily fantasy sports, horse racing betting, and lottery games sold through the official lottery website.
State of New Hampshire Sports Betting Overview
Legal sports betting in New Hampshire leaped its biggest remaining obstacle in June 2019 when the state legislature approved a bill authorizing up to ten retail sportsbooks and five unique NH online sports betting apps. The bill went to Governor Sununu, and he signed it into law the following month.
New Hampshire sports betting law establishes a minimum age of 18 to bet on sports and requires all customers to be located within New Hampshire state lines to place wagers.
Under the law, sports bettors in New Hampshire may place wagers on professional and college sports, with the one restriction being no wagers on college games involving state universities. In-play betting is also permitted.
For the most part, online sports betting in New Hampshire begins and ends with DraftKings. DraftKings Sportsbook secured a near-monopoly with the New Hampshire Lottery in November 2019 and has been the only option offering top sports betting promos ever since.
The decision to accept DraftKings’ proposal from among the 13 the lottery commission received caused some confusion. However, it soon became clear that the revenue-sharing proposal that DraftKings floated — promising 51% of its revenue to the state — proved to be the decisive factor.
DraftKings offered the state such a large revenue share in exchange for a lockout on competition, something that the original law did not require.
State of New Hampshire Sports Betting Timeline
2023: New Hampshire started 2023 with the state’s third-largest sports betting handle since legalizing. The $97.1 million bet in January is behind just January 2022 and October 2021.
New Hampshire sports betting handle starts to take a hit once legal Massachusetts sports betting launches online in March. Total sports betting handle in New Hampshire declined by $24 million (32%) year-over-year in May.
New Hampshire posted new records for handle, gross revenue, and the state’s share of that revenue for the 2022 fiscal year.
New Hampshire Sen. Tim Lang will reportedly not file a new online casino bill in New Hampshire in 2024. Lang had previously stated that he would file a bill he thought would pass.
2022: New Hampshire totals $891.7 million in sports betting handle in 2022. That includes a run of three months with more than $90 million in handle to end the year. October, November, and December were the fourth, fifth, and sixth biggest months for the state in terms of sports betting handle since legal sports betting launched at the end of 2019. For the year, sports betting nets the state about $66.4 million in revenue
2021: The state passes HB 330 and HB 354 to refine its sports betting law.
2019: The state legislature begins consideration of legal sports betting in New Hampshire during its 2019 legislative session. While Gov. Chris Sununu includes revenue from sports betting in his budget for the upcoming fiscal year, the passage of enabling legislation proves to be less than a sure thing.
Some legislators want to attach sports betting in the state to long-sought legislation allowing casinos in New Hampshire. That attempt puts the immediate future of New Hampshire sports betting in question.
However, the casino legislation was then separated from the sports betting bill, allowing it to move through the state legislature in the summer. Both chambers passed the bill, and Sununu signed it into law in July 2019.
A competitive bidding process administered through the state ultimately saw DraftKings Sportsbook become the lone online sportsbook in New Hampshire. The DFS and sports betting giant will pay nearly half of its sports betting revenue in New Hampshire to the state as part of the arrangement.