New Hampshire Joins iGaming Bill Frenzy

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New Hampshire is the latest state to consider legalization of an iGaming bill, at least the eighth state to introduce an iGaming bill so far this year.
Sen. Timothy Lang (R-Sanbornton), Sen. Howard Pearl (R-Loudon), Sen. Keith Murphy (R-Manchester), and Sen. Daniel Innis (R-Bradford) are sponsoring SB 168 to legalize iGaming in the Granite State.
The bill was introduced on Jan. 9 and currently resides in the senate ways and means committee.
Opening up iGaming Market
The bill will benefit an interesting new market of citizens in the state. SB 168 will earmark iGaming tax revenues for education, the state’s general fund, and to reimburse municipalities for elderly, disabled, blind and deaf tax exemptions.
The bill sets the legal iGaming age at 18 and will tie all online gaming licenses to state casinos. The New Hampshire Lottery Commission will regulate the iGaming market and will be authorized to approve no more than six, and no less than three, online iGaming platforms in the state. The bill also allows regulators to establish an Online Gaming Wagering Supervision division to ensure the commission’s iGaming operators comply with state regulations.
Each iGaming operator will have to partner with a licensed gaming facility within the state.
The bill sets the iGaming tax rate at 45% of gross gaming revenues. The iGaming tax revenues will be distributed as follows:
- 25% to the an education trust fund
- 25% to the elderly, disabled, blind, and deaf exemption reimbursement fund
- 50% to the general fund
The state will allow users to fund iGaming accounts through cash, PayPal, cash equivalents, promotion funds, debit cards, and automated clearing houses. Users will be prohibited from using credit cards to fund iGaming accounts.
No license fee was mentioned in the initial bill.
More Open Market Than Sports Betting?
The bill will likely allow for a more open iGaming market than the current New Hampshire sports betting market. A minimum of three iGaming licenses will have to be authorized, meaning the state would likely see three iGaming operators if legalized.
The New Hampshire online sports betting market only features one operator, DraftKings, which has held its monopoly over the market for the last several years.
The high iGaming tax rate, however, certainly mirrors the state’s sports betting market. New Hampshire features a 51% tax rate, tied for highest in the country with New York and Rhode Island.

Robert Linnehan
Covering regulatory developments in online gambling. Editing/writing/creating a newsletter for readers across all formats.