Residents of New Hampshire can soon have the opportunity to experience online casino games within their state, as local legislators have introduced a bill that would allow online gambling.
Senate Bill 168 (SB 168) seeks to regulate online gambling and direct net proceeds to the education trust fund, the general fund, and to reimburse municipalities for elderly, disabled, blind, and deaf tax exemptions.
Part of SB 168 is to give the New Hampshire Lottery authority to create an online wagering division to regulate online casinos. The commission would license between three and six online gaming wagering platforms, each of which would contract with a licensed existing gaming facility within the state.
Moreover, gross gaming revenue (GGR) generated by online casinos would be subjected to a 45% state tax. 50% of the tax money 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.
The bill is sponsored by Senators Timothy Lang, Daniel Innis, Howard Pearl, and Keith Murphy, and was referred to the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Jan. 23, 2025.
Betting Age in New Hampshire Up for Debate
If passed, New Hampshire would become the first state to authorize online casino gambling for people aged 18 and older. Currently, the seven states where online casinos and online slot games are legal only permits customers aged 21 and above. Such states include Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.
However, New Hampshire Representative Sally Fellows has currently filed House Bill 83 (HB 83) which aims to increase the minimum age for sports betting. Along with Rep. Fellows, HB 83 is currently sponsored by Rep. Michael Cahill, Sen. Ruth Ward, and Sen. Suzanne Prentiss.
New Hampshire’s History with Legalizing Online Casino Gaming
With online casino gaming still up in the air for New Hampshire, this latest bill isn’t the first one the local lawmakers have drafted. Back in 2023, the Senate passed an online casino bill sponsored by Sen. Lang but it got its momentum halted in the House hearings.
The idea of online gambling within the state has received some notable pushback from charitable gaming facilities and organizations. That said, New Hampshire’s gaming is currently limited to retail and online sports betting via a DraftKings monopoly, as well as a state lottery, parimutuel wagering and charitable gaming.
