New Hampshire currently allows bettors as young as 18 to wager on sports but could join the majority of states in the US in restricting gambling to those 21 and over. A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing for that change with a newly announced bill for the 2025 legislative session.
House Bill 83, to be officially introduced into the state’s Ways and Means Committee tomorrow, would raise its gambling age from 18 to 21. The bill was introduced by Democratic Representatives Sallie Fellows and Michael Cahill, while Republican Ruth Ward and Democrat Suzanne Prentiss are spearheading the effort in the Senate.
The bill’s language notes that it:
Increases the minimum age for placing a sport wager from 18 to 21. In FY 2024, state revenue from sports betting was $33,654,911, of which approximately 1.9% of gross gaming revenue came from individuals under the age of 21. Therefore, the revenue attributable to bettors aged 18 to 20 in FY 2024 would be $639,443.
Although likely to earn praise from responsible gambling advocates, restricting the addressable market for sports betting is not without financial consequences. The bill’s fiscal impact statement notes that:
Considering this bill is effective halfway through FY 2026, it is expected to decrease state lottery revenue, and transfer to the education trust fund, by approximately $320,000 in FY 2026 and by $640,000 in FY 2027 and each year thereafter.
Should the bill become law, it would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
DraftKings the party most impacted by proposed change
While New Hampshire state law allows up to five mobile sportsbooks to operate within its borders, only DraftKings currently operates in the Granite State.
Per Legal Sports Report, New Hampshire produced over $3.4 billion in handle during its history of legalized gambling, with total revenue of just over $286 million, generating more than $129 million in tax revenue.
Should the law pass, it would change the landscape of betting in New Hampshire but could actually smooth the way for online casinos to be legalized in the state. Mobile sports betting and iGaming are closely intertwined, often integrated into a single mobile app in states where both are legal. Raising the sports wagering age to 21 would avoid future debates about whether both sports betting and iGaming should be available to 18-year-olds, whether the apps should be kept entirely separate, or some other compromise reached.
That’s not the only reason to be optimistic about New Hampshire’s chances for online casinos. Last October, State Rep. Laurie Sanborn declined to run for re-election. Sanborn chaired the House Ways and Means Committee in the New Hampshire legislature before dropping her bid to stay in public office. That committee is where a 2023 iGaming bill met its demise, and Sanborn appears to have been one of its major blockers. At the time, bill author Sen. Timothy P. Lang, R-Sanbornton, blamed Sanborn in part for thwarting the bill.
In the meantime, Sanborn’s husband, Andy Sanborn, is facing legal trouble related to a 2023 disclosure that “credible evidence” was found in a case involving his Concord Casino.
A 17-page letter from the New Hampshire Lottery charges they “unlawfully obtained an Economic Injury Disaster Loan from the United States Small Business Administration in the amount of $844,000” and then misappropriated funds, including an $80,000 Ferrari that Andy Sanborn purchased for his state representative wife. Just before Christmas, Sanborn appealed his case to the state’s Supreme Court.
