New Hampshire Casinos and Gambling Laws
Rachel Elam | January 20, 2023 | Updated on: January 2nd, 2024
New Hampshire was the first US state to legalize the lottery. The New Hampshire casinos industry has not really expanded much since then. Horse racing was the first kind of legal betting in New Hampshire.
Greyhound racing was as well legal for a time however has since been canceled. New Hampshire racetracks are allowed to offer off-track gambling parlors. These bets may also be made remotely.
This includes over the internet and by phone. New Hampshire permits charities to spread numerous kinds of gambling. This includes raffle, bingo, and poker. The most prevalent charity New Hampshire poker rooms are spread through the US state.
Some of the poker rooms now call themselves New Hampshire casinos; even though they offer poker games only.
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New Hampshire Gambling
- Year gambling was regulated in New Hampshire: Lottery (1964), Racing (1933) Poker (1977), and Bingo (1977).
- Estimated Tax Revenue: $77 million.
- Estimated Gambling Profits: $288 million.
- New Hampshire Gambling Age: 18 for bingo and lottery, 21 for poker and racing.
Online Gambling in Types of New Hampshire
greyhound and Simulcast horse racing are the biggest types of legal New Hampshire web gambling. TwinSpires, TVG, and XpressBet are the main three sites accepting racing from New Hampshire residents.
The New Hampshire Lottery sells tickets on its website. These are payments for big lotto drawings. Available options are 13, 26, or 52 weeks. Daily fantasy sports sites are claiming that they are lawful in New Hampshire.
There is no regulation that backs up this.
Popular Gambling Games
- Slots
- Blackjack
- Poker
- Craps/Roulette
- Horses
- Lottery
Live Gambling
Horse racing is the first and oldest type of gambling in New Hampshire. There are two tracks existing today; Rockingham Park and Rochester Fair Race Track.
The state lottery vends tickets throughout the US state at 1,250 retail stores. Games included are scratch-offs and lotteries. There are state-only and interstate lotto drawings that can include Mega Millions and Powerball.
Charities can offer bingo games, vend raffle tickets or even spread poker games and also tournaments. Poker tournaments are a common option. Real money games are permitted with a buy-in of up to $150. Casino nights with gambling games of chance are also allowed with limits far below what one would expect to find at a distinctive casino.
There are charity poker rooms referring to themselves as NH casinos. Even though they call themselves casinos, they are still not allowed to offer casino games.
Gaming Laws
New Hampshire betting laws state that all gambling games of chance are unlawful if they are not operated by the state lottery or a charity. Most betting crimes are misdemeanours, though operating a big gaming enterprise is a Class B felony. Betting on live horse races is permitted by betting laws. Simulcast gambling is allowed on horses and dogs.
Live greyhound racing was forbidden in 2010. There are attempts to outlaw simulcast gaming on these races. The state lottery can sell tickets via retailers and online. Ticket delivering terminals can be used.
New Hampshire Gambling History
New Hampshire was the first state in the US to authorize a lottery in 1964. It was not the first type of legalized gambling. Charity bookmaking was the last development of the industry.
That took place in 1977. Poker rooms and Bingo were allowed with small bets.
New Hampshire casino nights were then later added. The maximum wager began at $1. It was then raised to $2 in 1998. In 2008, that number then went to $4. The maximum wager was repealed in 2015.
Greyhound racing was once lawful in NH. It was barred in 2010. Simulcast gambling on these races continued to be legal.
Where to Gamble in NH
| POKER ROOM | SIZE | ADDRESS | WEBSITE |
| 4Jacks Poker Room – Rochester | 5 Tables | 38 Milton Rd. | No Website |
| Keene Poker Room – Keene | 9 Tables | 401 Winchester St. | No Website |
| Lakes Region Casino – Belmont | 10 Tables | 1265 Laconia Rd. | www.lakesregioncasino.com |
| Manchester Poker Room – Manchester | 17 Tables | 1279 S. Willow St. | No Website |
| River Card Room – Milford | 25 Tables | 185 Elm St. | www.therivercasino.com |
| Rockingham Park – Salem | 60 Tables | 79 Rockingham Park Blvd. | www.rockinghampark.com |
| Seabrook Poker Room – Seabrook | 25 Tables | 319 New Zealand Rd. | www.seabrookpokerroom.com |
| The Poker Room at Hampton Falls – Hampton Falls | 30 Tables | 1 Lafayette Rd. | www.hamptonfallspoker.com |
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