New Hampshire Online Gaming Bill was found "inexpedient to legislate"

The placeholder bill H 562 sought to legalize online gambling for the Granite State. The bill was considered in an Executive Session last week, and a unanimous vote 23-0 brought it down. Members in the executive session found it, "inexpedient to legislate." Unfortunately, that brings the hope in New Hampshire's online gambling to an end for the rest of this legislative session, which lasts 40 days. 

Will 2018 Be Better?

Perhaps in 2018, we will see this gambling bill revisited, but it depends on how the state's newly legalized online lottery performs. When New Hampshire splashed into the online gambling pool conversation, it sent ripples throughout the nation. Bill H562 was an additional proposition with New Hampshire legislature's online lottery as well starting on voting in July 2017.

The online lottery of New Hampshire launches at the start of 2018. If the lottery performs well, New Hampshire legislature will likely legalize online gambling as well. 

Who Will Run the Online Casinos of New Hampshire?

The placeholder bill H562 kept the specifics vague, which may have been why there was a 23-0 vote on it. No one had clarity on who would license or operate the casinos within the state. While New Hampshire has legalized some forms of online gambling, most of these casinos are simply a charity poker room. For example, some might have bingo or others will offer table games, which fits the loosest definition of the term, "online gambling." We still have a long way to go before we see it fully legalized in the state of New Hampshire, but little by little, we're making progress. 

New Hampshire could possibly serve as more of a conduit. For example, they might issue licenses and let the establishments run and operate. Unfortunately, the state wants a good deal, and the appeal just isn't there to start the legalization for online gambling with only 1.3 million inhabitants in the state. It would've been nice if we had seen a second online poker win in 2017, but as the online lottery shows, we're still making progress in bringing back online gambling to the United States.