New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signed a fantasy sports bill into law on Tuesday, according to a source familiar with lobbying efforts there, making it the 13th state to pass such a law.
It’s the third new state to formally legalize and regulate daily fantasy sports this year.
New Hampshire reaches the finish line
Sununu signed H 580, a source told Legal Sports Report, although the bill does not yet show as enacted. The legislature passed the bill in June.
What’s in the law?
- Regulation of the industry will fall to the New Hampshire lottery commission, which is given the power to promulgate some rules to oversee the industry.
- There is no fee or tax for operators that register with the state. An earlier version of the bill had both an upfront fee and a tax on revenue.
- Operators must register with the commission, but may continue to operate in the state while the law is taking effect, if they apply for registration.
- The law sets up basic consumer protections for users at registered DFS sites, including a ban on employee play; the segregation of player funds and operational funds; and responsible gaming protocols.
- The minimum age for users is 18.
New Hampshire also recently legalized online lottery.
The tally of states with DFS laws
Here is the the list of states that have laws about the fantasy sports industry on the books:
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- New Hampshire
- New York
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Tennessee
All of those except for Kansas include some sort of regulatory component.
More state DFS laws are on the way
Several more jurisdictions are poised to join the states above in the near future with new fantasy sports laws, including New Jersey, Delaware and Maine.
Pennsylvania is currently considering a gaming package that would also legalize DFS and PA online casinos. Ohio appears to be a favorite to enact a fantasy sports law this year as well.
Legalization and regulatory efforts in more high-profile states like Texas and Illinois — which both have a murky legal climate for DFS — have proven more elusive.
