Legislation
US – New Hampshire’s $225m rated sports betting sector aims for July 2020 launch
By Phil - 15 July 2019
New Hampshire Chris Sununu has signed a bill into law to legalise both retail and online sports betting with the added condition that he places the first bet himself.
The aim is to make that happen by July 1, 2020. The legislation will see a Division of Sports Wagering set up within the NH Lottery Commission, who will be responsible for overseeing the industry. It will issue up to 15 licenses; 10 retail and five online, via a competitive tender. Rather than bringing a revenue-sharing agreement into law the lottery the Division of Sports Wagering will be to negotiate terms with each licensee.
Betting will be permitted on both professional and college sports, although in-state collegiate betting won’t be allowed. The legal betting age has been set at 18 years old with in-play betting only available online.
Governor Sununu said: “We can do it with a lot of confidence because it’s being done responsibly, and it’s being done with organisation here at the lottery that just knows what they’re doing. They know how to get this stuff off the ground. The only rule is I want to place the first bet.”
“With the exciting new addition of sports betting, the New Hampshire Lottery will continue to drive critical revenue, putting even more money into our educational system,” Governor Sununu added. “Today’s action will provide financial support and important resources to help our public education system, which will benefit every child in every school across the state—a win for New Hampshire.”
The estimated total revenue from sports betting for New Hampshire has been pitched at $225m by 2021, generating $11.25m in annual tax.
Rep. Timothy Lang, R-Sanbornton, the bill’s prime sponsor, said: “I’m happy we’re bringing an illicit activity into the light for our citizens of New Hampshire and allowing for some consumer protections.”
Bill Miller, President and CEO of the American Gaming Association (AGA), said: “The American Gaming Association applauds Governor Sununu and the New Hampshire legislature for legalising sports betting, becoming the third previously non-gaming jurisdiction, after Tennessee and Washington DC, to authorise wagering on sports. New Hampshirites will now have a convenient, secure alternative to the dangerous illegal market that has operated in the state and across the country for decades. I’m encouraged that New Hampshire lawmakers joined their colleagues across the country in rejecting harmful integrity fees and official data mandates that interfere with the legal market’s ability to compete with illegal operators.”
