Legal sports betting in New Hampshire came to be in July 2019. The Granite State became the ninth state in the U.S. to legalize sports betting and online legal sports betting in New Hampshire launched in December 2019. There is only one online sportsbook and two retail sportsbooks and they are all run by DraftKings. There are plans for more licenses for retail and online sportsbooks in the near future.
This in depth article will show you all the important information in terms of legal sports betting in New Hampshire. Not only will you learn about legal and tax issues, a timeline of events, where you can wager online, the future of online legal sports betting in New Hampshire, and FAQs, but you will also see how to open an account and start to bet on your favorite sports online.
All legal sports betting options in New Hampshire
The legal situation on New Hampshire sports betting
In July 2019 both online and retail sports betting was legalized in New Hampshire when Governor Chris Sununu signed bill H480 into law. Only and retail sports wagering launched in December of 2019 and the Granite State currently only has one online sportsbook and two retail sportsbooks with all three in the DraftKings family. The state has five licenses that can be handed out for online skins and 10 for retail locations.
The New Hampshire state lottery is the body that oversees all sports betting in the state. There are retail locations for sportsbooks currently under construction and there are also plans to have smaller betting sports betting kiosks at retail stores. DraftKings is the only brand available in the state and they are trying to have a monopoly and have been successful so far and one of the main reasons is the tax situation that will be touched on in greater detail later in the article.
In March of 2020 residents of 15 cities voted to have retail sports betting allowed with 10 of them approving it. The 10 that voted for retail sportsbooks in their city were:
- Belmont
- Hampton
- Hudson
- Pelham
- Salem
- Derry
- Hinsdale
- Newmarket
- Rollinsford
- Seabrook
🛑 What you can’t bet on from online sportsbooks in New Hampshire
In New Hampshire there are not many restrictions on what you can wager on but you cannot bet on in-state college teams or any college games held in the state. There is also no live wagering at retail locations but you can bet live online.
Here are the restrictions on what you cannot bet on in New Hampshire:
- Entertainment bets such as for the Emmys and Oscars
- Political bets such as the U.S. presidential election
- Any bet with a college team that is located in New Hampshire
- Any college game held in New Hampshire
🟢 What you can bet on from online sportsbooks in New Hampshire
- NCAA Football, NCAA Basketball, NCAA Baseball (no in-state college teams)
- Major Domestic Leagues, including NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS, MLB, MMA, UFC, etc.
- Major International Leagues, including England Premier League, Italy Serie A, Spain La Liga, etc.
- Major sports events, including NBA playoffs and finals, Stanley Cup, Super Bowl, World Series, World Cup, The Masters, Olympics, etc.
- Most betting types, including spreads, moneylines, totals (over/under), parlays, futures, proposition bets (none for in-state college teams), and live bets (online only)
What is the tax situation in New Hampshire
New Hampshire is unique in that the state does not have a specific spots betting tax but operators bid to have their services offered in the state by giving it a certain percentage of their gross revenue. DraftKings was not the only operator that looked to get a license but they came in with the highest percentage of 51% on online betting gross revenue and 40% on retail gross revenue. ROAR, which is a joint venture between GVC and gaming giant MGM only offered 20%.
DraftKings does pay a hefty tax but they are the only game in town. In their agreement if more than one license is granted their tax rate drops to 21% and if there are four or more online licenses the tax rate drops to 16%. Since launching, New Hampshire has taken in $39.3 million in taxes from sports betting. Most of the taxes from sports betting goes to fund education projects throughout the state.
All the available sportsbooks in New Hampshire
- DraftKings
Forecasts about the future of online gambling in New Hampshire
The forecast for the future of online gambling in New Hampshire is bright. For online sports betting there can be four more licenses handed out but currently DraftKings is the only operator in the state, The state will look at the tax issue with DraftKings being taxed on 51% of their gross online revenue and 40% of retail revenue. The state gave them a six-year contract to operate and will see how the tax coffers are before granting new licenses, as if they do the DraftKings tax rate will decrease significantly.
There can be up to 10 retail licenses for sportsbooks and while there are only two currently running there are a few that are either under construction or in the planning phase. There are also plans to have retail sports betting kiosks at retail stores in the Granite State.
The two current retail sportsbooks are:
- DraftKings – The Brook Casino, Seabrook
- DraftKings – South Side Tavern, Manchester
Timeline of main events in New Hampshire
- March 2020 – Voters in 10 of 15 cities approve having retail sportsbooks
- December 2019 – Retail and online sports betting launches
- July 2019 – Sports betting legalized
- May 2018 – The Supreme Court overturns Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which made sports betting legal on a state-by-state basis
- 2016 – Daily Fantasy Sports legalized
- 2016 – Multiple casinos open in the state
- 1963 – The New Hampshire Lottery launches
How do I start betting online in New Hampshire
It is a very quick and easy process to start betting online in New Hampshire. The first thing you need to do is sign up and register for an account at the lone online sportsbook of DraftKings. Once you have an account the sportsbook will have to verify your identity. To do this they will ask you for such information as your:
- Full name
- Birthday
- Social Security Number
- Personal verification information
When the process for verifying your identification is complete the book will send you a confirmation email. Then you are up and running and can start to bet on your favorite sports.
FAQs
The New Hampshire Lottery regulates all sports betting in the state.
Yes. Well, while the odds will not be exactly the same as in other states they will be very similar.
One of the main differences is that New Hampshire only has one current online sportsbook in DraftKings. The tax situation is also different than other states, as there is no specific tax on sports betting but operators have to negotiate with the state in how much of their gross revenue is taxed. In the Granite State there are few betting restrictions but you cannot wager on in-state college teams or any college game that is held in the state. New Hampshire will also be one of the few states that will have retail sports betting kiosks located in retail stores. They are also one of the few states where the legal gambling age is 18 with most having a legal age of 21.
Yes. Sports betting was legalized in New Hampshire when Gov Chris Sununu signed bill H480 into law
You must be 18 years old to wager on sports in New Hampshire.
The only online sportsbook currently available in New Hampshire is DraftKings.
No. You do not need to be a resident of the Granite State to bet at DraftKings sportsbook but you must be in the state to make wagers.
Yes. You can access your New Hampshire sportsbook account from out of state to do things such as make deposits and withdrawals, check odds, and contact customer service, but you need to be within state lines to make bets.