The state of New Hampshire will become the 14th state in the US that will be regulating and legalizing the activity of sports betting. With iGaming news and podcast portal Casino Gazette reporting that the Governor, Chris Sununu, signed into law the bill H480, that will make sports wagering in New Hampshire legal.
This is a major fillip not just for New Hampshire but also for regulated sports gambling in the US as a whole. With the decision of New Hampshire to join the likes of New Jersey, Rhode Island and West Virginia, it is thought that more States will follow their collective lead.
The action by New Hampshire will allow the licensing of online sports books and of retail premises to accept bets, however, the betting on college games and from those that feature New Hampshire teams participating in matches will not be allowed.
The New Hampshire Lottery Commission will oversee the licensing and regulation of sports betting within the state and to this end a new division called the ‘Division of Sports Wagering’ will be created, which will report into the NH Lottery Commission.
As many as 15 licenses will be available for operators to apply for, with five available to retailers and the remaining ten being made available for online operators. The awarding of these licenses will be via a competitive bidding process.
It is expected that once all done, with licenses awarded and operators in place, that legalized sports betting and wagering will commence in New Hampshire by July 2020.
