A group of New Hampshire lawmakers is pushing to add the state to the small footprint of US online casino markets.
Senators Timothy Lang, Daniel Innis, Howard Pearl, and Keith Murphy introduced SB 168 earlier this month, which would legalize online casino gambling in New Hampshire. Last week, the bill was referred to the Ways and Means Committee.
New Hampshire lawmakers have attempted online casino legalization in the past. In 2023, a Lang-sponsored bill passed the Senate but did not see legs in the House.
NH online casino details
The New Hampshire Lottery would create a new division to regulate the new industry. Commissioners could issue between three and six licenses for online gambling operators.
Each licensee would need to partner with an existing gaming facility in the state. The state would tax online gambling revenue at 45%.
The legislation would also allow people who are 18 or older to wager on the platforms. It would be the first market to allow 18- to 20-year-olds to gamble at online casinos.
NH sports betting monopoly
The online casino market could be vastly different than the Granite State’s sports betting market.
DraftKings controls the sports betting market through an agreement with the New Hampshire Lottery. It has a monopoly on in-person and online sports betting.
This year, Rep. Sally Fellows introduced a bill, House Bill 83, to raise the minimum sports betting age from 18 to 21. Fellows’ bill received its second committee hearing Monday.
Online casino bills galore
The Granite State is one of at least eight states with bills filed this year to examine online gambling expansion. Here are the other seven:
- Hawaii
- Indiana
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- New York
- Virginia
- Wyoming
Virginia lawmakers have already punted on their efforts this year, opting to take a deeper look before potentially diving in again next year.