Lawmakers in New Hampshire want to prevent people aged between 18 and 20 from betting on sports.
New legislation, HB 83, is set to be introduced in the state House Ways and Means Committee on Jan. 8 that would raise the minimum legal age for sports wagering from 18 to 21.
The effort has bipartisan support. The bill is sponsored by House Members Sallie Fellows (D) and Michael Cahill (D) and has the backing of Sen. Ruth Ward (R) and Sen. Suzanne Prentiss (D).
New Hampshire is one of only eight U.S. markets that allows people as young as 18 to legally bet on sports online. Most legal sports betting states, including neighboring Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont, only permit sports betting for people in state aged 21 or older.
If passed, the change would take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
State would lose hundreds of thousands of dollars, warn bill authors
In FY2024, approximately 1.9% of gross gaming revenue in the state came from bettors under the age of 21.
The authors of the bill note that while the change would come at no direct cost, the state would lose out on hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax revenue as a result of raising the age limit by three years. The projected loss to the state per full fiscal year is $640,000, based on current betting revenues.
Betting tax revenue in New Hampshire goes towards the state’s lottery fund and education trust fund. That potential lost revenue could be a sticking point in committee discussions.
DraftKings currently holds a monopoly as the only legal provider of online sports betting in New Hampshire. The state’s law has room for up to five mobile sportsbooks.
So far in FY2025, DraftKings has taken $300 million in online sports betting handle as of November 2024. Its $31.2 million in gross gaming revenue yielded $13.8 million in tax revenue for the state through five months from July to November.
