As legislative sessions kick off across the country, New Hampshire has joined the growing group of states considering legalizing online gaming.
Four Republican senators proposed SB 168, which would regulate online gambling and direct tax revenue to the state. The proposal would instruct the state lottery to create a division to oversee the industry.
The bill notes that operators must be “under a contract with a licensed gaming facility in the state of New Hampshire, which may encompass a website, mobile application, or other portal to the Internet gaming platform.”
New Hampshire doesn’t have any commercial casinos, but does have several charitable gaming facilities that allow for poker, bingo, lottery ticket sales, and raffles. Gamblers are allowed to place pari-mutuel wagers on horse and greyhound racing. However, there are no active tracks in the state.
The state legalized sports betting in 2019, and the lottery partnered with DraftKings as the sole operator. The sportsbook gives half of its online and retail revenue to the state.
More Details
The new online wagering commission could license between three and six operators. The state will tax operators 45% of gross gaming revenue.
The state’s general fund would receive half of the gaming-related tax revenue. The special education fund would receive 25% and the remaining 25% will go to a fund earmarked to aid the elderly, disabled, blind and deaf.
Several payment methods are included in the bill. Cash, PayPal, debit cards, and ACH transfers are mentioned in the proposal. It also gives the lottery director the ability to add other methods in the future.
A handful of states, including New Hampshire, allow 18-year-olds to wager on sports. But this bill would mark the first time a state allowed players as young as 18 to play online casino games.
Online Poker On The Table?
Poker is not specifically mentioned in the legislation, but the bill does make note of allowing for “an interstate gaming reciprocal agreement.” That seems to allude to poker, along with joining the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) shared liquidity pool that includes Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, Delaware, and West Virginia.
Despite being in the agreement, Delaware and West Virginia haven’t launched online poker operators yet.
With a population of just 1.4 million, New Hampshire needs to partner with other states to have a viable pool of poker players.
Pennsylvania is expected to join the agreement soon, adding a potential 13 million players to the mix. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board announced their desire to join last October and will likely enter the fray later this year.
Other states currently considering online gaming include New York, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Wyoming, Maryland, Virginia, Louisiana, and Illinois.