Neither commercial nor tribal casinos can be found in New Hampshire. Instead, the state is choosing an alternative path toward gaming expansion.
The legalization of online sports betting is the first and most noticeable change. On December 30, 2019, DraftKings Sportsbook released the first sports betting app in New Hampshire, and up to ten additional retail sportsbooks are expected to open for business by the end of the year. However, there are still some municipalities that have voted against legalizing sports betting. For the time being, internet sportsbooks are not legal in the New Hampshire cities of Concord, Dover, Nashua, and Rochester.
The second example is the state lottery, which has also gone digital. More than twenty scratch-off games may be found on the New Hampshire iLottery. You may also purchase Powerball and Mega Millions lottery tickets for drawings that span many states. In addition, 1,250 brick-and-mortar retailers are selling tickets for the lottery.
Charity gambling has also been significantly increased in New Hampshire. All around the state, you may find charity casinos where you can play craps, blackjack, and more than 300 poker tables. Slot machines are the only item missing, as these establishments are prohibited by law from housing electronic gambling devices of chance. Local sports bars welcome both locals and tourists, serving as an alternative to charitable casinos with several banking alternatives for gamblers.
New Hampshire has a hazy legality when it comes to online gaming. While online sportsbooks have sprung into the spotlight, internet casinos have been left in the shadows since their services are illegal.
Curiosities about the State
In 1963, New Hampshire became the first US state to authorize a lottery. Known as the Granite State, New Hampshire gets its name from the English county of the same name. The state is no stranger to high winds. Ground level wind speeds on Mt. Washington have been measured at three times the levels seen in hurricanes. On Salem’s Mystery Hill is a 4000-year-old stone structure known as America’s Stonehedge.
It was the first of the original colonies to declare its independence, a full six months before the formal Declaration of Independence was ratified by Congress. It has an independent streak and the credo “live free or die.” Notable “firsts” include not just the lottery, but also the first free public library in 1833, the first alarm clock in 1789, and the first potato grown in the United States in 1719.
Gambling Halls in New Hampshire
The only functioning racetrack in the area is New Seabrook Park. However, there are currently no scheduled live races. Off-track betting is popular, and TVG, TwinSpires, and XpressBet are the top three online horse betting companies for residents of the state. Former pari-mutuel racetracks now host poker and other forms of casino gaming in their “semi-casino” incarnations. The Lakes Region Casino in Belmont, for instance, has a wide variety of table games such as blackjack, craps, poker, Spanish 21, let it ride, and more.
Legal internet poker and gambling are possible. Free casino and poker games may be found in sweepstakes casinos, and there are cash payouts for the winners. You may play slots and table games at Chumba Casino and Luckyland Slots, while the best sweepstakes poker is provided at Global Poker. Before the advent of legitimate bookmakers, sports enthusiasts had to make do with services like DraftKings and FanDuel’s Daily Fantasy Sports.
As we’ve discussed, a wide variety of choices exist inside the state to satisfy your gaming needs. Some locals, however, choose to travel to nearby New York and Massachusetts, where larger casinos can be found.