Another state legislature has abandoned talks to legalize online casino gambling.
New Hampshire Sen. Tim Lang tabled his online casino bill in the Senate Ways and Means Committee last week. The decision came despite the committee recommending passage.
Lang also sponsored similar legislation in 2023, when it passed the Senate. That legislation had three other sponsors.
NH online casino push
Lang’s bill would have put the New Hampshire Lottery in charge of regulating the online casino industry.
The lottery commission would then issue between three and six licenses connected to existing gaming facilities. The legislation set the tax rate at 45%.
It would also have been the first state to allow 18- to 20-year-olds to use online casino platforms.
Different model than sports betting
The proposal for multiple licenses for online casinos is different from the Granite State’s sports betting market.
The lottery is the only sports betting licensee, partnering with DraftKings for a monopoly.
In New Hampshire, the minimum sports betting age is 18, and a bill from Rep. Sally Fellows to raise it to 21 was tabled last month.
Online expansion striking out in 2025
There were online casino bills filed across the country. And while some discussions have been more serious than in years past, the legislation is drying up quickly.
Lawmakers in Virginia, Wyoming and Indiana have all punted efforts to future years. Legislators in Maryland are seeing déjà vu with their committee hearings on the issue, while New York lawmakers are hesitant to say it can get far this year.
However, one state making a dark horse push with the issue is Arkansas. Sen. Bryan King has introduced a proposed constitutional amendment “concerning casino gaming.” Previously, Saracen Casino Resort’s Carlton Saffa has been an adamant proponent of expanding gambling online in Arkansas but believes it can be done without a constitutional amendment, similar to how sports betting went online.
