New Hampshire Tackles Sports Gambling with New Senate Bill

The rush of US states to legalize online and offline sports betting continues to gain momentum. New Hampshire legislators are currently set to debate an amended bill that would legalize sports betting in the state.

A sports gambling bill for New Hampshire was previously introduced to lawmakers without success. In May 2019, the legislators began to work on amending the bill to address concerns with the original draft. Governor Chris Sununu has indicated that he will support efforts to make sports betting legal for residents of New Hampshire.

Representative Timothy Lang sponsored the New Hampshire sports gambling bill. Following the lead of other states, New Hampshire is aiming for the state's lottery commission to oversee efforts to implement sports betting. The New Hampshire House of Representatives approved the bill, but it stalled in the Senate as revisions were debated.

The primary amendment to the bill is a measure that would limit the number of sports betting providers who operate a mobile platform. Senators want a maximum of five mobile sports betting providers authorized to offer wagering on professional and collegiate sports. The limitation was introduced to prevent monopolization by gaming operators.

There is expected to be a Senate vote on the amended New Hampshire sports betting bill by May 30. This will give state lawmakers time to amend the bill into a form that the majority of senators can support.

The expectations for revenues from sports betting are high in New Hampshire. Some believe that the state is poised to gain $10 million in revenues over a two year period. This would provide a huge boost to the state economy. Other states have also cited fiscal reasons for the legalization of online sports betting.