New Hampshire Online Casino Bill Filed, Sites Would Need Brick-and-Mortar Partners
New Hampshire is the latest state this year to field legislation to allow online casino gambling.
The DraftKings Sportsbook at The Brook in Seabrook. Legislation to expand gaming online in New Hampshire to include slots and table games has been introduced in the Concord capital.
Last week, state Sen. Tim Lang (R-Belknap) and three other Senate Republicans introduced Senate Bill 168. The statute seeks to legalize online casino slot machines and interactive table games for anyone aged 18 and up who is physically located inside the Granite State.
If passed, SB168 would instruct the New Hampshire Lottery to field competitive bids for iGaming privileges. The lottery would need to issue at least three online gaming platform licenses for the market to launch. The total number of licenses would be capped at six.
Lang, an adamant supporter of regulated gaming, championed New Hampshire’s legalization of online and in-person sports betting in 2019. For his iGaming push, Lang is joined by Sens. Daniel Innis (R-Grafton), Howard Pearl (R-Merrimack), and Keith Murphy (R-Hillsborough).
New Hampshire iGaming Bill Details
Lang’s SB168 would require iGaming operators like DraftKings and FanDuel to first partner with a licensed brick-and-mortar charitable casino that operates slot-like historical horse racing (HHR) machines and/or live dealer table games. Traditional slot machines remain outlawed in New Hampshire.
Gross gaming revenue (GGR) generated by online casinos would be subjected to a 45% state tax. Of the tax money, 50% would go to the state’s general fund. The remaining 50% would be split equally between a special fund to benefit the elderly, disabled, blind, and deaf, and another to support special education.
If SB168 becomes law, New Hampshire would become the first state to authorize online casino gambling for people aged 18 and older. In the seven states where iGaming is currently live — Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia — only patrons aged 21 and up are permitted.
SB168 has been directed to the Senate Ways and Means Committee. New Hampshire joins several other states in considering iGaming during their 2025 legislative sessions along with Maryland, Indiana, Wyoming, New York, Massachusetts, and Hawaii. Lawmakers in Virginia have already folded on an iGaming bill this year.
While SB168 receives initial review, New Hampshire Rep. Sally Fellows (D-Grafton) has filed legislation to raise the gambling age from 18 to 21. House Bill 83 is being read in the House Ways and Means Committee.
DraftKings New Hampshire Business
New Hampshire’s 2019 sports betting bill called for a competitive market with several online and retail sportsbook operators. The industry’s terms were amended after DraftKings offered to split its gross sports betting revenue with the state in exchange for a monopoly.
Today, DraftKings is the only legal online sports wagering platform in New Hampshire. It also offers retail sportsbooks at four charitable gaming facilities — The Brook in Seabrook, Revo Casino Manchester, Revo Casino Dover, and Gate City Casino in Nashua.
The sportsbook firm would presumably like to expand its New Hampshire DraftKings platform to include iGaming. However, it might not support Lang’s measure because it would end its monopoly on online commercial gambling, which is currently limited to sports betting.
In 2023, DraftKings contributed $1K to Vote Tim Lang, Lang’s political action committee. More recently, Lang received contributions from Churchill Downs ($1K) and NH Gaming Holdings, LLC, a joint venture between Peninsula Pacific Entertainment and Manchester real estate developer Dick Anagnost. Last October, NH Gaming gave $3K to Lang, $1K to Pearl, and $750 to Innis.
Churchill Downs runs Chasers Poker Room in Salem. NH Gaming runs four Revo casinos.
https://www.casino.org/news/new-hampshire-online-casino-bill-filed/