While not the most gambling-friendly state in the U.S., New Hampshire offers its share of opportunities, with sports betting now part of the mix.
Online casinos games and online poker are not legal in New Hampshire.
State residents who want to play online casino table games, slots or poker can do so at a growing number of social casinos and sweepstakes sites such as Chumba social casino. All offer online games — on the social casino’s website or through an app – that can be played with free virtual coins for amusement or prizes with no real money changing hands. Gambling.com’s top-rated social casinos are listed above.
Forms of legal online gambling in New Hampshire include sports betting, daily fantasy sports, simulcast pari-mutuel racing and the New Hampshire Lottery.
In New Hampshire, as in several other states, sports betting is the priority right now.
It’s possible that if sports betting outperforms projections and state lawmakers are seeking additional revenue sources to help fill budget gaps, online casino gambling legislation could be introduced in the future.
New Hampshire has no commercial casinos, so any casino gambling expansion would likely include land-based facilities. Massachusetts and Rhode Island have added full-service casinos in recent years, so New Hampshire might eventually consider doing the same to stem the flow of gambling dollars to neighboring states. Several previous attempts by New Hampshire lawmakers to allow commercial land-based casinos have failed.
While New Hampshire does not permit commercial land-based casinos, it permits some casino games if run by charitable entities. Under state law, 35% of profits must be earmarked for registered non-profits and another 10% to the state. Table games such as blackjack, craps and poker may be offered, with buy-ins limited to $150 and maximum bets of $10. Slot machines are not allowed.
Here is the list of the state’s licensed game operators, according to the New Hampshire Lottery Commission:
Operator | Address | City |
---|---|---|
Aces & Eights Casino | 169 Ocean Boulevard | Hampton |
Boston Billiard Club and Casino | 55 Northeaster Boulevard | Nashua |
Chasers Poker Room | 7 Veterans Memorial Parkway | Salem |
Concord Casino | 67 South Main Street | Concord |
Conway Poker Room & Casino | 234 White Mountain Highway | Conway |
Dover Poker Room | 887 B Central Avenue | Dover |
Keene Casino | 16 West Street | Keene |
Lakes Region Casino | 1265 Laconia Road | Belmont |
Lebanon Poker Room & Casino | 45 Hanover Street | Lebanon |
Manchester Poker Room & Casino | 1279 South Willow Street | Manchester |
Northwoods Casino | 155 Emery Street | Berlin |
Ocean Gaming Casino | 81 Ocean Boulevard (second floor) | Hampton |
The Brook | 319 New Zealand Road | Seabrook |
The Governor’s Inn | 78 Wakefield Street | Rochester |
The Poker Room | One Lafayette Road | Hampton Falls |
The River Casino & Sports Bar | 53 High Street | Nashua |
If land-based casinos are eventually approved, it’s presumed most or all operators would offer online casino games, if allowed. But that appears well into the future. For now, New Hampshire online casino gamblers can play for free at social and sweepstakes casinos.
In states with legalized online casino gambling, online casino apps are an integral part of doing business. The apps give players access to casino games on their mobile devices 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from anywhere within the state. It’s hard to beat that convenience.
Online casino apps typically are available for iOS and Android devices and can be downloaded for free on the casino operator’s website or the App Store.
The same casino games that are offered at traditional casinos can also be offered online. Those games include:
Online roulette: An electronic random number generator is used instead of a physical wheel.
Online slots: Nearly all of the most popular slot games found at casinos are available online, along with a wide selection of new games that feature three-dimensional graphics and animation.
Online poker: Real-money online poker would be a logical addition to other gambling expansion measures when, or if, New Hampshire decides to embrace those options. There are a limited number of charitable poker rooms across the state but buy-ins and wagers are capped.
Lottery: New Hampshire has already made the digital leap — iLottery is the New Hampshire Lottery online. After registering for an iLottery account, players can purchase tickets for Mega Millions or Powerball and play e-instant games from a computer, smartphone or other mobile device.
Online blackjack: Whether online or in a casino, blackjack remains the most popular table game. The online version allows for more blackjack variations with lower minimum bets.
Live dealer: Available in some states, live dealer games are dealt by an actual person from a studio. The games are streamed to your computer or mobile device and allow you to chat with the dealer or other players at the table.
States with legalized online casino gambling offer several ways to deposit or withdraws funds from your account. Among the most common payment options:
E-wallets: Companies such as PayPal, Neteller and Skrill store your financial information and allow you to transfer funds in and out of your account for minimal fees.
Play+: A banking method created for exactly this purpose, you can sign up for Play+ online and fund it with a credit card or bank account. You can use one Play+ card at multiple casino sites and withdraw winnings back on to the card. Using the physical card Play+ sends, you can withdraw funds from many ATMs.
Credit/debit cards: The most popular and convenient choice, with deposits processed instantly. But be aware that some financial institutions automatically reject gambling transactions and others charge high fees. Nearly all do not allow credit/debit cards for withdrawals.
ACH/bank transfer: A common option for deposits and withdrawals, with an online connection established between your bank and online account. Fees are generally low but transactions may take longer to complete.
Prepaid cards: Contain a specific value and often can be purchased through your casino operator’s website or retail outlets.
PayNearMe: A cash-only deposit option in which a barcode is scanned at any New Hampshire 7-Eleven, Family Dollar or CVS Pharmacy to transfer funds into your online wagering account.
Online casino operators use bonus offers to sign up new players and keep existing ones. But there are certain requirements included. That applies to all states. Take New Jersey online casino apps as an example, NJ online casino bonuses all include some form of wagering requirement that must be met before the bonus money can be redeemed. Be sure to read those terms and conditions carefully.
Examples of bonus offers include:
New Hampshire gambling is best defined by its lottery, the first modern state-sanctioned lottery in the continental United States and the originator of what is now an $80 billion annual industry. In most other forms of gambling, New Hampshire has been late to the party.
First proposed as a way to generate revenues for the state, in 1963 New Hampshire approved a lottery system overseen by the state government. Out-of-state residents across the Northeast flocked to play the games. Those revenues went back to the lottery (and the New Hampshire government by extension), regardless of where the ticket buyer lived.
Neighboring states soon legalized lotteries to keep residents playing within their borders. This began a decades-long domino effect that saw lotteries legalized in all but five states by 2019, even in some of the most conservative, gambling-averse jurisdictions in the nation.
The New Hampshire Lottery, which introduced an online platform for its games in 2018 and also oversees the state’s sports betting, has spearheaded a legal challenge to a federal reinterpretation of a statute that threatens to outlaw the nascent online gambling industry.
In 2019, Gov. Chris Sununu signed House Bill 480, making New Hampshire the 14th state to legalize sports betting (second in New England after Rhode Island). The bill — passed one year after a U.S. Supreme Court decision paved the way for each state to allow sports betting — permits both online and in-person sports wagering.
New Hampshire sports betting is regulated by the state’s Lottery Commission, through a newly created Division of Sports Betting. Though the law allows for up to five licenses for online betting, the commission awarded exclusive rights to DraftKings, which accepted the state’s first online sports wagers in December 2019.
In-person sports betting is available and New Hampshire law allows DraftKings to have 10 retail sportsbooks. Two locations have been opened, the first at The Brook casino in Seabrook in September 2020. The second opened in early October 2020 at South Side Tavern in Manchester. Sixteen cities and towns (including Manchester, Salem and Seabrook) have approved sports betting facilities, with DraftKings and the Lottery Commission soon expected to identify additional retail locations.
New Hampshire lawmakers legalized online sports betting as part of House Bill 480, and mobile wagering launched on December 30, 2019. The state handled more than $59 million in online wagers through May 2020, with the monthly numbers significantly declining in March when sports leagues shut down due to the coronavirus.
For now, DraftKings holds exclusive rights to offer online and in-person sports wagering after the state’s Lottery Commission entered into a six-year deal with the Boston-based sports betting operator. To become the state’s sole operator, DraftKings agreed to pay the state 51% of gross gaming revenue from mobile wagering and 50% from retail locations.
NEW HAMPSHIRE SPORTS BETTING, APRIL vs. MARCH
Total handle | Mobile handle | Revenue (GGR) | |
---|---|---|---|
April | $73.149M | $60.454M | $3.436M |
March | $78.811M | $60.326M | $5.283M |
Change | Down 7.2% | Up 0.2% | Down 35.0% |
Updated May 26
New Hampshire lawmakers legalized and regulated Daily Fantasy Sports in 2017, the 13th state to do so.
All of the major Daily Fantasy Sports sites accept New Hampshire accounts, including FanDuel, DraftKings, Yahoo and Fantasy Draft.
Horse racing track Rockingham Park in Salem opened in 1906 and pari-mutuel wagering in the state was legalized in 1933. But the state no longer has live pari-mutuel wagering of any kind, with simulcast races from other tracks all that remains.
Rockingham Park hosted its last thoroughbred race in 2002 and final harness event in 2009. Hindsdale Raceway opened in 1958 for harness racing, was converted to a greyhound racing track and closed in 2009. State lawmakers subsequently banned live greyhound racing in 2010.
Simulcast horse racing betting is available at the former Seabrook Greyhound Park (rebranded as The Brook), and on multiple online pari-mutuel platforms, such as TVG, TwinSpires and Xpressbet.
State law allows up to five online sports betting operators, but DraftKings is the only one for now.
The state entered into a six-year exclusive deal with DraftKings, with a pair of potential two-year extensions. State lottery officials said DraftKings offered the most competitive bid and fastest timeline to implement online and mobile wagering.
When the contract with DraftKings expires, it’s possible other operators could enter the New Hampshire market. If so, the percentage of revenues DraftKings pays to the state would automatically decrease.
Betting on just about every sport is allowed, including all the major sports leagues as well as international sports. You can find a complete list on www.nhlottery.com.
Sports betting is not allowed on games involving New Hampshire college sports teams (University of New Hampshire, Dartmouth) and on college games played in the state.
New Hampshire allows online wagering for sports betting, Daily Fantasy Sports, pari-mutuel wagering and lottery. Online casino gambling and online poker are not permitted.
The minimum legal age to gamble in New Hampshire is 18.
None. Commercial casinos are not permitted in New Hampshire. Potential charitable gaming operators can apply to the Licensing and Enforcement Division of the New Hampshire Lottery.
Sports betting, charitable gambling (which includes table games and poker), Daily Fantasy Sports, lottery, pari-mutuel wagering.
No, there is no residency requirement. But you will need to be physically located inside New Hampshire to legally place a wager.
Many of these are offshore-based online casino sites that are unregulated operate outside state or U.S. laws and should be avoided. Others are free social and sweepstakes casino sites that can be played for amusement or prizes with no real money changing hands.
The state is in the process of identifying and opening up to 10 retail sports betting outlets. In addition, gambling is permitted at more than a dozen charitable game outlets which offer table games and poker. Pari-mutuel wagering is available at an off-track betting facility in Seabrook; lottery tickets can be purchased at multiple retailers.
Yes. DraftKings has exclusive rights to offer online sports wagering in New Hampshire. Create an account on the DraftKings website or download the app.
The New Hampshire Lottery Commission regulates gambling in the state.
Yes, provided you are playing at a site that is licensed and regulated by the New Hampshire Lottery Commission, which would be responsible for ensuring that all games are fair and accounts secure. Offshore betting sites are not regulated, meaning you are putting your funds at risk by signing up with them.
The good news is New Hampshire does not tax gambling winnings. Winnings are not exempt from federal tax, and the percentage will depend on your tax bracket.
"Ron Fritz is a former editor for Gambling.com."
Reviewer since July 2019