A Granite State legislator would like to see his state expand its gaming footprint and has filed a bill that would bring online casino gambling to New Hampshire.
Digital Casino Push
State Senator Timothy Lang previously sponsored an online casino gambling bill that never picked up steam in the House and ultimately died on the vine. But now Lang, along with fellow senators Daniel Innis, Howard Pearl, and Keith Murphy, recently introduced SB 168 that would legalize iGaming in the Granite State.
The bill is now in front of the Ways and Means Committee, and if the measure continues its legislative journey and is ultimately signed into law, it would task the New Hampshire Lottery with establishing a regulatory body to govern iGaming in the state.
Unlike the mobile sports betting bill, which granted exclusivity to Boston-based DraftKings in exchange for a 51% tax rate, there would be between three and six iGaming platforms allowed in the state paying a 45% tax on revenues. If passed as presently constituted, it would be the first state to allow 18-year-olds access to an iGaming market.
However, there is apprehension about iGaming, as only seven states, including New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Connecticut and Rhode Island, have launched online casino gaming. The threat of addiction for people with access to round-the-clock casinos on their portable devices is one factor, while the potential for cannibalization at brick-and-mortar casinos is another.
Age Limit Maintained
Besides New Hampshire, only Kentucky, Wyoming and Washington D.C. have a minimum gambling age of 18. There had been a call to raise the minimum age for sports betting in New Hampshire from 18 to 21, but that effort has apparently fallen short. House Bill 83 was the bill to increase the minimum age to 21, but it was recently voted down, 11-7, in the House Ways and Means Committee.
A supporter of the bill, Representative Thomas Schamberg, said, “I think it is important that we make a statement about the age limit like we have about alcohol, tobacco products, and vapes. Basically, I am supporting the age of 21 in New Hampshire.”
However, Representative Cyril Aures took the opposing point of view and urged fellow lawmakers to maintain the status quo.
“I’d just like to say that I see it as a liberty issue for young people,” he said. “If they want to bet with their money, let them bet.” It is estimated that raising the minimum age would have cost the state’s tax coffers $320,000 in 2026 and as much as $640,000 each year after that. There is little doubt the state’s sole sports betting operator, DraftKings, was opposed to the move considering the onerous 51% tax it agreed to pay based on a handle comprised of all ages 18 and over.
