New Hampshire senators say it’s time for online casino

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Four senators in New Hampshire have introduced a bill that would legalize online casino gaming in the state for people aged 18 or older. If passed, New Hampshire would become the first online casino market available to 18-20 year olds.

Sen. Timothy Lang, Sen. Daniel Innis, Sen. Howard Pearl and Sen. Keith Murphy have introduced SB 168 to authorize online gaming. The bill was referred to the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Jan. 23.

Under the proposal, the New Hampshire Lottery would 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.

Licensees would be taxed at 45% of gross online gaming revenue. That payment would be split between the state general fund (50%), a special education fund (25%) and the elderly, disabled, blind and deaf exemption reimbursement fund (25%).

The bill does not list credit cards as an approved method of payment for iGaming, but the language does note that the lottery’s executive director would have discretion to authorize other payment types.

The act would take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.

New Hampshire has been here before

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.

It is one of several states where lawmakers are pushing the online casino issue early in 2025. iCasino legalization bills have already been filed in the likes of Maryland, Indiana, Wyoming, New York, Massachusetts and Hawaii. In one state, the issue is already dead for year, as Virginia hit pause on considering the issue until 2026.

Like so many of those states, New Hampshire has tried for iGaming before. In 2023, the Senate passed an online casino bill sponsored by Lang but it stalled in the House. The idea of online expansion has also received some pushback from charitable gaming facilities and organizations.

Age limit up for debate

SB 168 isn’t the only gambling-related legislation on the docket in New Hampshire. It’s notable that the proposal to legalize online casino is for users aged as young as 18, given that the minimum gambling age is the subject of another bill in the state.

New Hampshire is one of a small handful of regulated sports betting states that allows people as young as 18 to bet, but Rep. Sally FellowsHB 83 would raise the minimum legal sports wagering age to 21.

That issue was debated at a public hearing last week, when the likes of Fellows and Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health  CEO Marlene Warner argued that there is “no reason” to expose young people, particularly men, to online gambling in a way that few other states do.

No vote has been taken on that bill and it is expected to head for more discussion at an executive session on Jan. 27.

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