By As one of the few states with no professional or collegiate teams, New Hampshire isn’t a huge sports hub – but that doesn’t mean there is a lack of sports fans in the state. The close proximity to states that have huge sports followings like Boston in Massachusetts makes it easy for fans to pop over to see a game.
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Can I bet on sports in New Hampshire? New Hampshire Sports Betting Legalization Timeline New Hampshire Casinos Top Online Sportsbooks for Betting in New HampshireNew Hampshire isn’t a big gambling state either, as it was only in recent years that they even warmed up to the idea of casino betting. Their casinos are few and far between, and the ones they have are small, with few betting options.
The twist on their casinos? They have to operate with charitable principles. They must donate 35% to charity after they pay 10% to the state in taxes.
In July 2019, House Bill 480 was passed by Governor Chris Sununu to legalize sports betting in New Hampshire. The bill allows for ten retail locations and five online or mobile betting operators. DraftKings Sportsbook was the first mobile and retail operator licensed in the state of New Hampshire.
The goal was to launch sports betting by January 2020, and then March 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic delayed many states who recently legalized sports betting as mostly all sports were postponed or canceled.
New Hampshire is surprisingly one of the 14 states that gave Daily Fantasy sports betting the green light. Bettors in the state can use sites like DraftKings or FanDuel in 2017, as long as sports bettors aren’t betting on high school or college sports. Many major sites like the ones listed above, took college sports off the docket altogether.
Can I bet on sports in New Hampshire?
Since the overturn of the federal sports betting ban in May 2018, states have been legalizing sports betting – including New Hampshire as of July 2019. Sports betting is available to residents and visitors 18 years or older, in-person and online as of March 2020, but there aren’t a ton of options for sports bettors as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down casinos and retail locations - and sports in general.
New Hampshire bettors can also bet online at offshore, online sportsbooks. Online sportsbooks can be daunting, but top of the line books, like Bovada or BetOnline are great for bettors to get in on the action in states that don’t yet have their sports betting kinks worked out or are taking their time to get mobile betting off the ground. Online sportsbooks can be the most convenient option as you can bet at home from your phone or laptop.
There is nothing in state laws that prohibit online gambling, as many states have old regulations that predate the internet. So sports betting online at offshore sportsbooks is technically not illegal.
 | Available In New Hampshire |
|---|---|
| FanDuel | ❌ |
| DraftKings | ✅ |
| Caesars | ❌ |
| FoxBet | ❌ |
| BetRivers | ❌ |
| BetMGM | ❌ |
| PointsBet | ❌ |
| UniBet | ❌ |
A Brief Timeline of the Legality of New Hampshire Sports Betting
2024
- 2024 – The Concord Casino’s gaming license is suspended for six months due to the owner’s misuse of over $840,000 from an economic injury disaster loan.
2023
- 2023 – In January, New Hampshire records its third-largest sports betting handle at $97.1 million, following January 2022 and October 2021. Legal Massachusetts online sports betting in March leads to a $24 million (32%) year-over-year decline in New Hampshire’s sports betting handle in May.
2022
- 2022 – New Hampshire achieves a total sports betting handle of $891.7 million in 2022. October, November, and December mark the fourth, fifth, and sixth largest months for sports betting handle since legalization in 2019. The state nets approximately $66.4 million in revenue from sports betting for the year.
2021
- 2021 – HB 330 and HB 354 are passed to refine New Hampshire’s sports betting law.
2019
- 2019 – The state legislature considers legal sports betting during the 2019 session. Governor Chris Sununu includes sports betting revenue in the budget, but the passage of enabling legislation is uncertain.
New Hampshire Sports Betting Legalization Timeline
2018-2019: NH Gets Out Of The Gate Early
New Hampshire wasted almost no time in getting their sports betting legalized. They had sports betting bills being considered as soon as Delaware and New Jersey had set their precedent.
In June 2019, House Bill 480 had almost no problem as it sailed through the House. After a few amendments in the Senate, Governor Chris Sununu signed the bill on July 16, 2019, legalizing sports betting in New Hampshire.
2021: Possible Expansions
Representative Tim Lang has been very happy with the revenue the Granite State has seen. With his new bill HB 330, New Hampshire's sportsbooks would be able to accept in-game wagers. It would also expand the number of retail locations across the state.
If it does not pass this year, it is something to look forward to in the coming years.
New Hampshire Casinos
There are only a few casinos in New Hampshire, and all will likely end up becoming sportsbook homes in the near future. New Hampshire has no tribal casinos in the state. Casinos were only authorized and legalized in the past few years, so they’re all fairly shiny and new.
- The River Casino and Sports Bar is a charitable casino in New Hampshire, they have 6 tables that offer New Hampshire Hold’em, Flop 22 and a huge poker room with 12 tables. They have plenty of other games like Blackjack and Roulette as well as a variety of slot machines. Their sports bar will draw all of the sports bettors and fans, as it has a wall of televisions to watch the big game.
- The Lakes Region Casino, formerly the Lodge at Belmont has table games, poker and pull tabs. They have set open times, but no closing times - if there are patrons in the casino, they stay open. Their sports bar is a big draw, with pool tables, live music, and always has sports on.
- Aces and Eights at Hampton Beach casino is located right on Hampton Beach Boardwalk. They offer table games including Blackjack and Roulette, and New Hampshire Hold’em.
Other smaller casinos and pool clubs are also potential future homes for sportsbooks in New Hampshire:
- Boston Billiard Club and Casino
- Manchester Poker Room
- Cheers Poker Room and Casino
- Chaser’s Poker Room and Casino
- The Brook Casino Resort
Top Online Sportsbooks for Betting in New Hampshire
With so many online sportsbooks available, which one do you choose? It’s hard to pick one that satisfies all of your individual needs, and many have strengths and weaknesses. We have developed a list of the top sportsbooks, and we evaluated them in-depth, to be able to provide you with honest, unbiased sportsbook reviews that will help you choose the right sportsbook based on your needs.
If you want to pay with Mastercard or Visa, you have to make sure that the sportsbook accepts your desired payment method. If you plan to bet a lot, you’ll want to take advantage of signing up bonuses and promotions that will give you more bang for your buck. There are plenty of things to consider before signing up, so ensuring that you have all of the information before choosing is important.
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