Five NH Cities Approve Sports Betting

The cities of Berlin, Claremont, Laconia, Manchester and Somersworth voted to permit the operation of physical sports book retail locations in their communities during city elections on Nov. 5. Voters from Dover and Rochester voted to allow establishments to offer KENO 603, pending approval through the NH Lottery’s application process.

Governor Chris Sununu signed legislation in July authorizing the NH Lottery to conduct sports betting, which will be allowed through as many as 10 physical sports book locations and as many as five online sports books.

“The New Hampshire Lottery appreciates and respects the voting process in New Hampshire. With five cities voting to allow sports book retail locations, we can continue with the sports betting implementation process, developing a responsible system that engages players and drives revenue for education in New Hampshire,” says Charlie McIntyre, executive director, NH Lottery. “Further, as two more cities have voted in favor of KENO 603, we are now able to continue expanding the game, which has demonstrated consistent sales growth since its inception nearly two years ago.”

The Lottery expects to have mobile sports betting available across the state by January 2020, with sports book locations up and running by late winter or early spring next year.

The sports betting legislation was written to provide individual communities across the state with the option to put the question to voters as to whether to permit the operation of sports book retail locations within their communities. New Hampshire towns will be able to place the question on their Town Meeting warrants in spring 2020. In addition to the cities voting Tuesday, Franklin voters approved their city as a potential location for sports book retail locations during city elections on October 1.

The sports betting legislation, which creates a Division of Sports Wagering within the New Hampshire Lottery to oversee sports betting, allows for mobile wagering and prohibits any wagering on New Hampshire college teams or any college games taking place in the Granite State. Players must be 18 or older to make wagers.