New Hampshire Sports Betting
New Hampshire became the 14th US state to legalize sports betting after Governor Chris Sununu signed HB 480 into law in July 2019. The bill legalized both retail and online sports betting, though mobile wagering launched in the state eight months ahead of brick-and-mortar sportsbooks.
New Hampshire’s landmark legislation came a little over a year after the Supreme Court struck down PASPA (Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992) in May 2018. The Act established Nevada as a near-monopoly for sports betting. By throwing it out, the Supreme Court gave each US state the right to establish a regulated sports market.
When New Hampshire launched its mobile sports wagering market in December 2019, it became the second New England state to do so. While casino gambling is not yet legal in NH, there are a few restrictions when it comes to sports betting. Professional sports, college games, daily fantasy sports contests, and pari-mutuel horse racing are all live and legal in the Granite State.
| Regulator | Launch date | Tax rate | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire Lottery Commission | December 30, 2019 | 51% | Online/In Person |
Sports Betting Operators in New Hampshire
New Hampshire bettors have access to a huge range of betting markets. However, there’s only one option when it comes to placing your bets. DraftKings Sportsbook has a total monopoly on both retail and online sports betting in the state. Though there are technically five online sportsbook licenses available, the New Hampshire Lottery Commission agreed to make DraftKings the solitary sportsbook provider in exchange for 51% of its adjusted mobile revenue (50% for retail.)
Though it started as a DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports) operator, DraftKings is New Hampshire’s one-stop shop for all things sports wagering. From horse racing to NFL prop bets, the operator caters to almost every wager type imaginable. In-state college betting is the only kind of sports wagering not legal in NH.
| Name | Operator | Launch Date |
|---|---|---|
| DraftKings | DraftKings Inc. | December 30, 2019 |
Best Sportsbook Apps and Bonuses in New Hampshire
As the only online sportsbook with a license to operate in the state, DraftKings has turned New Hampshire into its own personal sports betting empire. The DFS giant won the first (and so far, the only) online sportsbook license in November 2019, beating twelve other applicants to the post.
Licensed and regulated by the New Hampshire Lottery Commission, DraftKings Sportsbook went live in December 2019 and has held on to its monopoly ever since.
Sports Betting in New Hampshire
Is online sports betting legal in New Hampshire?
Yes, online sports betting has been live and legal in New Hampshire since December 2019.
What sports can you bet on in New Hampshire?
There are plenty of sports markets available to NH bettors. Professional leagues like the NFL, NBA, MLB, and MLS are all available through the state’s sole sportsbook provider, DraftKings. In addition, college betting is legal in the Granite State. Whether you root for the Dartmouth Big Green or the New Hampshire Wildcats, you can bet on the NCAA in NH.
Who can bet on sports in NH?
New Hampshire has a lower age requirement for gambling. Unlike many other states in the US, you can wager on sports from the age of 18 in NH. In fact, all types of gambling are legal from 18 onwards in the Granite State, including the lottery, DFS, and pari-mutuel wagering.
Official League Data usage in New Hampshire
Genius Sports is the largest Official League Data provider to sportsbooks in the US. The company signed a multi-year agreement with DraftKings’ operator in August 2021 to provide its official league data to the DraftKings-powered sportsbook.
Therefore, anyone using DraftKings Sportsbook in New Hampshire can be confident that the data for in-play and pre-game betting will be officially sourced and accurate.
Legislation Timeline
- 2017: Gov. Chris Sununu signs HB 580 into law, legalizing DFS in the state. Online poker and casino sites are temporarily legalized, though the ban is reinstated just ten months later.
- July 2019: Gov. Chris Sununu signs HB 480 into law on July 12. The bill allows both retail and online sports betting in New Hampshire.
- November 2019: The state grants DraftKings permission to launch retail sportsbooks from January 2020.
- December 2019: Mobile betting goes live in the state as DraftKings launches the state’s only online sportsbook. The Greek sports betting management service Intralot is also authorized to launch a sports betting site but has yet to do so.
- August 2020: DraftKings opens its first retail sportsbook at The Brook Casino on August 12. It was initially meant to launch in early 2020, but delays and the pandemic meant it could only open in August.
- February 2022: NH’s total betting handle exceeds $1 billion.
New Hampshire Sports Betting Handle
Excluding the early months of the COVID pandemic, New Hampshire has consistently reported eight-figure monthly betting handles since its first full month of mobile wagering. In the first two days after opening on December 30, DraftKings took over $300,000 in bets. What’s more, the Granite State reported its biggest handle to date in January 2022, despite New York’s sports betting market launching the same month.
| Month/Year | Handle |
|---|---|
| December 2019 | $360,726 |
| January 2020 | $16,834,974 |
| February 2020 | $22,130,928 |
| March 2020 | $8,768,769 |
| April 2020 | $3,774,668 |
| May 2020 | $7,180,450 |
| June 2020 | $8,138,772 |
| July 2020 | $11,623,208 |
| August 2020 | $27,496,050 |
| September 2020 | $41,373,620 |
| October 2020 | $47,055,486 |
| November 2020 | $46,523,447 |
| December 2020 | $51,649,897 |
| January 2021 | $59,795,433 |
| February 2021 | $50,995,349 |
| March 2021 | $55,800,096 |
| April 2021 | $46,700,713 |
| May 2021 | $42,367,381 |
| June 2021 | $39,268,179 |
| July 2021 | $36,724,165 |
| August 2021 | $36,319,740 |
| September 2021 | $68,123,241 |
| October 2021 | $98,191,306 |
| November 2021 | $83,168,812 |
| December 2021 | $86,449,528 |
| January 2022 | $99,540,825 |
| February 2022 | $70,866,282 |
| March 2022 | $78,811,441 |
| April 2022 | $73,149,079 |
| May 2022 | $76,199,157 |
| June 2022 | $53,567,757 |
| July 2022 | $42,653,152 |
| August 2022 | $43,372,008 |
| September 2022 | $78,237,751 |
| October 2022 | $91,345,018 |
You can find more information about New Hampshire’s sports betting handle at the New Hampshire Lottery website.
New Hampshire Land-Based Sportsbooks
DraftKings is the only operator licensed to open a brick-and-mortar sportsbook in New Hampshire. Currently, three land-based sportsbooks are open in the Granite State, with DraftKings venues in Seabrook, Dover, and Manchester. All three options have dining options along with 24-hour betting kiosks.
| Name | Location |
|---|---|
| DraftKings Sportsbook | The Brook |
| DraftKings Sportsbook | Filotimo Casino - Manchester |
| DraftKings Sportsbook | Filotimo Casino - Dover |
New Hampshire Sports Teams
New Hampshire has no sports teams of its own, but belonging to the New England region in the Northeast, the state’s loyalties lie with the major league teams coming from the region’s largest city, Boston. Find out more with our overview below.
Based in neighboring Boston, most football fans in New Hampshire tend to follow the New England Patriots of the NFL’s AFC East division. The Patriots had its inaugural season in 1960 but would wait some time to taste its first Super Bowl success.
New England’s fortunes changed in 2000 when the team hired Bill Belichick as Head Coach. Then, in Week 3 of the 2001 season, Belichick named Tom Brady as starting QB. The team would win its first Super Bowl championships in 2001, kicking off the Brady-Belichick era.
Widely regarded as one of the most dominant periods in NFL history, the Patriots won Super Bowls in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016, and 2018. In addition to the six Vince Lombardi Trophies, the team has won eleven conference championships and twenty-two divisional titles.
Like many New England teams, Boston Bruins are the most popular ice hockey team in New Hampshire. The franchise had its inaugural season in 1924 and was one of the “Original Six” teams in the NHL, the oldest in the league.
After the 1967 expansion, the team had a successful spell of thanks to the services of Bobby Orr, known as one of the greatest hockey players of all time. Orr and the “Big Bad Bruins” won the Stanley Cup in 1970 and 1972 and four divisional titles in five years. The team most recently won the Stanley Cup in 2011.
One of the best teams in NHL history, Boston’s six Stanley Cups are the joint-fourth-most of any team. The Bruins have also won five conference championships, three Presidents’ Trophies, and twenty-six divisional championships.
Based in New England, the Boston Celtics are the most popular NBA team in New Hampshire. The team is a charter member of the NBA, founded in 1946.
The Celtics are one of the most successful teams in NBA history, beginning its dominance in the 1950s under Red Auerbach. It won its first NBA championship in 1957 and would go on to win eight successive championships between 1959 and 1966. After a lean spell in the 60s, two further championships would come to Boston in the 1970s under the leadership of Dave Cowens, John Havlicek, and Jo Jo White.
In the 1980s, they would return to dominance again, with titanic matchups between the Celtics and its notable rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. Games between the “Showtime Lakers,” including Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the “Big Three” of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish were some of the best in the history of the game. The Celtics would win the 1981, 1984, and 1986 NBA Championships.
After a lean spell, the Celtics would win the 2008 NBA Championship under Doc Rivers. The team has also assembled an impressive squad in recent years, with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum entertaining fans at the Celtic’s arena, TD Garden.
The Red Sox were a founder of the American League, joining the junior circuit in 1901. Boston’s four World Series wins between 1901 and 1918 established the Red Sox as one of the best teams in the AL.
After their 1918 win, a World Series drought dubbed the “Curse of the Bambino” occurred as the Red Sox traded star player Babe Ruth to arch-rivals, New York Yankees, two years after the 1918 World Series, ushering in a nearly 90-year wait for another World Series win.
The drought ended in 2004, and the Red Sox went from strength to strength, becoming the first to win four World Series in the 21st century.
New Hampshire Sports Events
Despite not having a major professional sports team in New Hampshire, there are plenty of exciting sporting events in Granite State. These include some historic collegiate rivalries and stock car racing from New Hampshire’s premier speedway in Loudon. Find out more below.
New Hampshire-Dartmouth Football Rivalry
There is a significant in-state rivalry between the Dartmouth University Big Green and the University of Hampshire Wildcats’ college football programs. First played in 1901, Dartmouth dominated the rivalry early on - New Hampshire had to wait until 1973 for their first victory in the contest.
Dartmouth Big Green has competed in the Ivy League since 1956, while New Hampshire Wildcats have played in various conferences, including the Yankee Conference, Atlantic 10, and since 2007, the Colonial Athletic Conference.
New Hampshire has taken the lead in the head-to-head record in recent years, but because of the two schools differing conferences, they have met sporadically. However, in 2021, the two schools agreed to meet annually, reigniting the rivalry.
“Border War”: New Hampshire-Maine Ice Hockey Rivalry
One of the most intense college ice hockey rivalries in NCAA Division I, the University of New Hampshire Wildcats and University of Maine Black Bears meet in the Hockey East Conference up to three times a year and have often competed in the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament.
The two sides first met in 1979, and initially, Maine held the advantage in the rivalry, winning twenty-two of twenty-four meetings between 1986 and 1993. New Hampshire became more competitive throughout the 1990s, culminating in a highly intense series in 1999 between the two schools.
New Hampshire had triumphed in two regular season games in the Hockey East, delivering the Wildcats top seed in the Hockey East Tournament. Second-ranked nationally, New Hampshire lost to Boston College in the Hockey East Final before meeting first-ranked Maine in the final of the 1999 Frozen Four, with Maine coming on top.
The Wildcats defeated the Black Bears in 2002 to gain revenge and win the school’s first Hockey East title, but once again, Maine overcame New Hampshire in the Frozen Four a few weeks later. Since this period, games between the two have been referred to as the “Border War” and are some of the most competitive in collegiate ice hockey.
Crayon 301
The Crayon 301 is an annual stock car race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. It is part of the NASCAR Cup Series. The race was first held in 1993 and has traditionally been run in June or early July.
Instead of a regular trophy, the winner of the race is awarded n American Lobster, provided by the Makris Lobster and Steak House in Concord. The largest lobster at the restaurant is selected, sometimes weighing 20lb or more. The meat is sent to the pit crew, while the shell is sent to a taxidermist and mounted to be sent to the driver.
Jeff Burton has won the race the highest number of times, with three victories in consecutive years in 1997, 1998, and 1999. Joe Gibbs Racing has the most team wins, with eight between 2000 and 2022.
New Hampshire Responsible Gambling
If you feel yourself developing harmful gambling habits, plenty of resources are available to help in New Hampshire. DraftKings has a dedicated Responsible Gaming page with tools to help control your gambling, including deposit, loss, and wager limits, session limits, reality checks, cooling-off periods, and self-exclusion. You can also enroll yourself in the state-wide self-exclusion program by contacting DraftKings’ customer support.
The Responsible Gaming page has links to addiction support organizations such as the National Council on Problem Gambling. New Hampshire has a local volunteer-run responsible gambling agency dedicated to reducing the consequences of harmful gambling through education, prevention, training, and research.
FAQs
Yes, sports betting is live and legal in New Hampshire. As long as you are present within state lines and over 18, you can wager on a wide range of sports markets either in person at a retail DraftKings sportsbook or online via the DraftKings mobile app. Betting on both professional and college sports is legal, though in-state college bets are not allowed.
Pari-mutuel horse race wagering was made legal in July 2019, along with retail and online sports betting. The Rockingham Park Horse Racing Track closed its doors in 2016, leaving the state without a horse racing facility. However, you can wager on horse races through the DraftKings mobile sportsbook app or pari-mutuel betting sites like TVG and TwinSpires.
Ten retail and five online/mobile sportsbook licenses are up for grabs in New Hampshire. However, DraftKings is the only sportsbook to launch so far in the state. Greek operator Intralot has been authorized by the New Hampshire Lottery Commission to launch in NH but has yet to do so.
Absolutely! In fact, DraftKings is the only sportsbook available to bettors in New Hampshire. DraftKings is available for retail betting at The Brook and both Filotimo Casino venues. In addition, bettors present within NH state lines can wager online using the DraftKings mobile app, which has been like since December 2019.
Unlike most other US states, all forms of betting in New Hampshire are legal from 18. This list includes sports wagering, daily fantasy sports contests, the lottery, and pari-mutuel horse race wagering.
Nope! As long as you are physically present in New Hampshire, you can wager on sports using the DraftKings mobile app or at one of the three brick-and-mortar DraftKings sportsbooks. It’s important to note that you still need to report any winnings when you file your taxes.
Sports betting in New Hampshire is currently only available through DraftKings. The Brook in Seabrook, Filotimo Casino in Dover, and Filotimo Casino in Manchester all offer a retail DraftKings sportsbook. In addition, you can download the DraftKings mobile app and place your bets on the go from anywhere in the state.
The New Hampshire Lottery Commission regulates all betting in NH, including sports wagering, pari-mutuel horse race wagering, and the state lottery. The NHLC will also regulate casino gambling if it ever becomes legal.