Online and Retail Sports Betting Launched in New Hampshire

New Hampshire is the latest US state that went live with sports betting services, for both retail and mobile.

DraftKings operators has partnered up with the New Hampshire Lottery and launched mobile and online sports betting on December 30th.

Ceremonial Opening

In a ceremonial manner, Governor Chris Sununu placed the first sports wager. He bet that New England Patriots will win the Super Bowl and he did that at a restaurant that has a sports betting license. He was accompanied by DraftKings co-founder and CRO Matt Kalish and Rob Ninkovich of NFL fame.

In late November…

…DraftKings’ contract with the New Hampshire lottery was approved by Executive Council.

They have been selected through a bidding process and, as a part of the new agreement, New Hampshire will acquire 50% of sports betting revenue and these funds will be driven to help the educational institutions in this state.

Says Governor Sununu:

“Sports betting is the right bet for New Hampshire. We moved fast to get this done by partnering with a world-class company to provide a first-rate customer service experience and the state is poised to dominate the market. The launch of sports betting will also benefit our education system – a win for our kids.”

The Road Towards Legislation

Sununu signed the House Bill 480 (that was introduced in January 2019) into law last July, effectively legalizing sports betting in New Hampshire. Before being signed, the Bill was approved by the House and Senate.

The legislation allows up to 10 retail sportsbooks and five mobile offerings…

…but at the moment it appears that DraftKings will be the only operator in the state.

Out of possible ten, six of retail wagering slots have been filled. Berlin, Claremont, Franklin, Laconia, Manchester and Somerworth have all voted in favor of sports betting during city elections in fall 2019.

In the spring of this year, New Hampshire towns will put the matter to voters on Town Meeting.

Division of Sports Wagering will be overseeing the sports betting sector. They have been founded within the New Hampshire Lottery, as an integral unit, and they will restrict the betting to players younger than 18.

DraftKings will open a new office in this state (one of the wealthiest in the US) in order to be able to work closer on this with local authorities.

Source:

“Sports betting live in New Hampshire”, igbnorthamerica.com, January 2, 2019.