Top Online Casinos for New Hampshire

Encompassing the Northeastern region’s New England area, the tenth least populous state in America borders Canada to the north, Maine and the Atlantic to the east, Massachusetts to the south, and Vermont to the west.

The first British North American dependency to establish an independent government in 1776, and one of the Thirteen Colonies was admitted to the Union in 1788.

Throughout its history, the fifth smallest state became known for several enticing details.

Besides being the first in America to have its constitution, New Hampshire is also the place of numerous national firsts. The very first white potato was planted there in 1719, making it a state vegetable. The White Mountain State is the birthplace of the first American to travel in space. The first alarm clock was invented in Concord in 1787, the first women’s strike happened in the Dover Cotton Factory in 1828, and the first free public library in the country opened in Peterborough in 1833.

Mount Washington, the highest peak in the Northeastern U.S., is among the windiest places on Earth: The fastest wind speed ever observed by a human in 1934 was 231 miles per hour.

Last but not least, New Hampshire gave birth to the 14^th President of the United States.

The economy of the state with the shortest shoreline in the nation has been long associated with textile production, shoemaking, and machinery shops. Nowadays, most developed sectors include whole trade, general business, real estate and rental leasing, manufacturing, forestry, governmental entities, and health care with social services.

These verticals contributed to an $88.4 billion gross domestic product in 2019, equal to 0.41 percent of the national annual GDP.

Although the Granite State is the only one in the nation where seatbelts are not mandatory...

…New Hampshire gambling regulations are rather restrictive.

Indeed, true to the state motto Live Free or Die — dating back to the Revolutionary War — only a few games may roam freely.

The gaming market was almost non-existing until 1933, when pari-mutuel betting on greyhound and horse races was legalized. A host of racetracks thrived for years until 2013, when a slow decline of wagering on these types of races resulted in eventual subside.

Still, the legacy is paramount: To this day, these premises are the only places where players may indulge in poker or blackjack. Racetracks operating under the state’s umbrella of charitable gambling laws may also lawfully manage devices with games based on bingo or keno.

Since all other brick-and-mortar casinos are illegal, these racetracks effectively make the single available option for residents or travelers to enjoy limited land-based action.

In a historical manner of many firsts…

…the Granite State also adopted the first legal lottery in America in the twentieth century, in 1963.

Run by New Hampshire Lottery, this organizational framework provided a proper environment when the state legalized mobile and retail sportsbetting operations in 2019.

Even though current laws do not expressly cover online gambling, it is impliedly prohibited. Several regulatory efforts fell short in 2017; thus, no state-regulated onshore operators exist on the market.

In contrast, some offshore interactive hubs continue to accept punters from the state.

Legal Framework

All gambling activities are governed by New Hampshire Revised Statutes, Code Sections 674.2 and 284.1 in particular. The only exception is HB480, the legislation which regulates sportsbetting statewide.

Under its stipulations, this law establishes the New Hampshire Lottery Commission (NHLC) as the principal regulatory body for all wagering operations on professional sports events. The number of mobile operators is limited to five, while up to ten land-based sportsbooks may operate at any given time.

Other governing bodies for gambling verticals are the NH Racing and Charitable Gaming Commission — in charge of poker rooms — and the NH Regulatory Oversight Committee.

The minimum legal age is 18 years for sportsbetting, charitable casino gambling, lottery, and 21 years for pari-mutuel wagering.

As of 2020, all taxation surpluses from the lottery go to the New Hampshire Education Trust Fund.

Licensing

The Division of Sports Wagering within the NHLC is purposely established to handle the state’s sportsbetting vendors and oversee the licensing process.

Under the current Sports Wagering System and Services RFP, all potential licensees may apply for contracted vendor status in three channels:

• Internet mobile platform (Mobile Channel);
• Physical sportsbook retail location (Retail Channel);
• Traditional lottery retailer (Lottery Channel).

Applicants for each license have to provide full-service solutions, e.g., hardware, software, data networks, fully integrated services, event and risk management, player acquisition, customer relationship management, responsible gaming program, and integrity monitoring.

All services also have to include KYC protocols, plus Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and geolocation information.

Proposers may submit a single application for multiple channels. At the same time, retail vendors also have to receive local approval for the location within each city or town they plan to operate in.

A thorough vetting process includes a meticulous examination of the vendor’s business structure, experience, and capabilities, full disclosure of audited financial statements for the previous five years, relevant information on integrity and ethics policies, and a detailed proposal on the design and implementation of each channel platform.

Interestingly enough…

…New Hampshire did not opt for codified revenue-sharing agreements and license duration, allowing the State Lottery to negotiate terms separately with each aspiring licensee.

However, fees and taxes for each channel are competitive with other states, which is a good thing since it means operators may afford to offer the best odds to bettors.

The Division of Sports Wagering is in charge of all ensuing audits and periodical reviews — including independent third-party inspections — to ensure vendors’ compliance and implementation of responsible gambling policies.

Players’ Protection

A restrictive New Hampshire gaming market has almost everything to do with perpetual inclination to provide a healthy gambling environment.

To compound this prevailing orientation, HB480 also institutionalized the Council for Responsible Gambling (CRG), in addition to several existing initiatives.

The CRG’s sole role is to raise awareness on education, prevention, and problem gambling treatment within the state. Other than promotional scope, this private, non-profit organization provides services regarding intervention, treatment, and research on social, financial, and emotional costs of potential challenges players may face.

Responsible policies also form a large portion of the licensing process.

All applicants must provide detailed information on self-exclusion practices, bet limits, multiple patrons’ checks (wellness, financial), as well as cooling-off periods, including relationships with independent groups or providers.

Other statewide resources…

…include New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services and the Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen, plus nationwide initiatives such as National Problem Gambling Helpline, Gamblers Anonymous, Gem-Anon, and GemTalk. 

Final Notes

The Granite State attitude toward gambling remains as solid as its nickname. It seems that a compact market purposefully offers little action to patrons, as several resorts remain at players’ disposal in surrounding states.

Considering previous regulatory efforts that resulted in no significant changes — other than the sportsbetting bill — we probably won’t see more evolutionary legalization developments anytime soon.

When it comes to online punters…

…even though the state operators don’t exist, offshore hubs keep accepting New Hampshirites.

Thus, as always, we advise you to make careful due diligence of such facilities and local regulations before you make the final call.

Such a prudent and responsible approach in deciding where and how to enjoy in iGaming opportunities might be the best prerequisite for having great fun, in addition to possessing good skills and awareness of your budget limitations.

With that in mind, we wish you the best of luck!

Related Reading

• Online casinos for players in New Hampshire
• Land-based casinos in New Hampshire