New Hampshire Online Gambling The online gambling scene is quite barren in New Hampshire, with the exception of the lottery, the only other quasi legal online gambling is DFS. And even DFS legality is questionable, albeit, FanDuel and DraftKing are taking the Uber approach to the industry and thumbing their noses in the air against the law. Online Gambling In New Hampshire: The law specifies that gambling in any form not specifically authorized by the state is a Misdemeanor. That being said, there are no actual penalties prescribed for acting as a mere player gambling online. We were also able to uncover no instance of anyone facing any adverse action for acting online as a mere player. New Hampshire is one of the few states with an online lottery. The site allows players to purchase their tickets anytime and anywhere, as long as you are in New Hampshire at the time of purchase. Lucky for Life– $1,000 Every Day for the Rest of Your Life! The most accurate list of casinos in New Hampshire (NH). Find addresses, read reviews and get the best offers on 5 casinos. By continuing to use the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies in order to provide you the best possible experience.

New Hampshire has long been a state regarded for its rugged independence. Its “live free or die” motto continues to permeate the Granite State’s approach to life and lawmaking to this day. So, it’s no surprise that New Hampshire offers a unique slate of gambling options to its citizens and visitors.

For one thing, New Hampshire is now a full-service sports betting state. There are both retail and online sportsbook options available within the state’s borders.

New Hampshire also has a selection of gambling establishments that it calls “casinos.” In reality, these are sports bars with areas for poker and other table games. Quirkily enough, games that do not involve playing cards are not permitted at these (or any other) establishments in the state.

The page provides you with the latest updates on NH online gambling including how to play casino games at sweepstakes sites, types of gambling legal in the state and where to gamble.

Play online blackjack or slots in New Hampshire

Is online gambling legal in New Hampshire?

Yes, it is possible to gamble online in New Hampshire, to a certain extent. Online sports betting has been active in the Granite State since 2019. However, online casinos and online poker remain out of reach for New Hampshire inhabitants.

You can also try online horse betting sites from inside the state. New Hampshire does have daily fantasy sports (DFS) options as well.

New Hampshire Online Gambling Sites

We would also be remiss if we did not mention the New Hampshire iLottery. The New Hampshire Lottery offers several games that are playable online. These options are instant-win scratch-offs in virtual form. They are somewhere between the paper scratch-offs you use, a slot machine, and a video poker game.

Finally, New Hampshire residents can take advantage of the various sweepstakes sites that are active throughout the US. Here is a rundown for all the options for gambling online in the Granite State.

Are online casinos legal in New Hampshire?

No. State law does not permit pure online casinos to operate inside New Hampshire. Any online casino site that says otherwise is operating outside the purview of both state and federal law.

However, there are a few options that New Hampshire residents can use if they want to get some great casino action. There are several sweepstakes casino sites that offer an experience similar or equivalent to the play that you’d find with a true online casino. The only differences are that most sweepstakes sites use a dual currency system and have ways for you to play for free.

Top sweepstakes casino sites in New Hampshire include:

• Chumba Casino
• Funzpoints
• Luckyland Slots

Can you play slots online in New Hampshire?

No. In fact, you cannot play slots in almost any capacity in New Hampshire. New Hampshire specifically prohibits “gambling machines” from operating inside state lines. However, there are a couple of acceptable options that might get close to the experience of playing on a slot machine.

The first opportunity for slot-like play is the iLottery offered by the New Hampshire Lottery. You can play a variety of instant-win games and virtual scratch-offs directly through the commission’s website. Some of New Hampshire’s casino locations may also offer lottery terminals that can be used in the same fashion. While they’re not slot machines and have significant differences in terms of presentation and approach, they can replicate some of the experience with regard to game speed and payouts.

The other type of slot-like play available in New Hampshire is through the sweepstakes sites mentioned above. Because sweepstakes sites are free to play and are not considered gambling under state law, you can play on the slot titles available on Chumba, Luckyland, Funzpoints, and Global. Although the dual currency systems on each site might be confusing at first, the mechanics of playing the games onsite will be remarkably similar to a typical slot machine.

In terms of prospects for legalization, there really isn’t much to report. New Hampshire lawmakers have turned their attention to sports betting for the time being, and it’s not clear if there are plans to expand into online casino play anytime soon. However, once sports betting is in its mature state, you never know where legislators might turn for a new revenue stream.

Is online poker legal in New Hampshire?

As is the case with online casinos, there are no legal or licensed NH online poker sites active at this time. Any site claiming to be legal New Hampshire poker room is operating in a gray zone in the law and has several risks associated with it – we’ll cover those below.

While New Hampshire may think about legalizing online poker in the future, you do have the option of playing on a sweepstakes poker site in the meantime. Like the sites mentioned previously, sweepstakes poker sites must be free to play and give away the prizes they advertise.

The best of the sweepstakes poker sites is Global Poker. Global is owned by the same company behind Chumba, and Luckyland, and uses a unique dual currency system to stay in the good graces of sweepstakes law.

Does New Hampshire have legal online sportsbooks?

Yes. Both daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting is legal New Hampshire. Both practices have been enshrined into law via signatures from Gov. Chris Sununu. Sununu even pushed for a quick launch of sports betting in the state and placed the first sports wager. So, in general, the folks in charge of New Hampshire have a positive view of wagering on sporting events.

New Hampshire legalized DFS in 2017. HB 580-FN-A was the brainchild of Rep. Gary Azarian, but had bipartisan sponsors in both the House and Senate. The bill authorized the New Hampshire Lottery Commission to oversee the DFS industry and required operators to register with the state. However, favorably for the companies themselves, there was no tax or fee required to set up shop. So, most of the big names in DFS, including DraftKings and FanDuel, are well-established in New Hampshire.

Sports betting became legal in New Hampshire in 2019. After the US Supreme Court declared the federal ban on intrastate sports betting unconstitutional, the gears began to turn in the Granite State. Rep. Timothy Lang’s HB 480-FN made its way to Sununu’s desk and was signed off during the summer of 2019. The law called for the inclusion of both online and retail sports betting, and both types of sports betting are now up and running in the state.

New Hampshire witnessed its first online sportsbook launch in December 2019 when DraftKings Sportsbook opened its virtual doors in the Granite State. DraftKings is the only provider to offer online sports betting in the state. However, the New Hampshire Lottery’s strategic partner, Intralot, has also been authorized to operate a sports betting site inside state lines. It has yet to do so, but DraftKings is unlikely to be the only player in the game for too much longer.

Will New Hampshire regulate online gambling in the future?

It’s hard to say. As is the case in most states, gambling is broadly illegal in New Hampshire. From that blanket statement, the state then carves out exemptions and exceptions to the law. That’s the mechanism that brought sports betting to the state in 2019, and a similar bill passage would be necessary for other forms of online gambling to show up in the Granite State.

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be any legislative attention on online casinos or gambling at this time. The state’s foray into sports betting has been successful, and subsequent bills aim to augment this success through greater expansion of the options.

For the moment, the only active bills related to gaming in New Hampshire pertain to studying and redefining the state’s large charitable gaming market. Whether the proposed study will mention online gaming remains to be seen, but most of New Hampshire’s attention is on sports betting for the foreseeable future.

Who regulates online gambling in New Hampshire?

The only legal online gambling active in New Hampshire is online sports betting. As a result of the 2019 law, the New Hampshire Lottery maintains oversight authority over all aspects of sports betting, including the online market.

So, it’s fair to assume that the lottery commission would also regulate any expansions of online gambling in the state. However, there is no move to legalize online casinos and online poker in the works in New Hampshire right now, so it’s a moot point for the moment.

What is the legal gambling age in New Hampshire?

The legal gambling age in New Hampshire is either 18 or 21. The state lottery, including the iLottery games, and bingo are accessible to those inside state lines who are 18 or older. However, you must be 21 in order to play at charitable casinos, poker games, and simulcast racing facilities in the Granite State.

Interestingly, New Hampshire law only requires players to be 18 in order to engage in sports betting. This fact makes New Hampshire one of the few sports betting states to allow betting at age 18 – almost every other state requires players to be 21 or over.

Legal online gambling vs. offshore sites

As mentioned earlier, the fact that you can find online casinos and poker sites willing to serve you in New Hampshire is not a sign of legality. In fact, there are no licensed New Hampshire online casinos or poker sites that operate under the purview of the New Hampshire Lottery or any other state agency.

The problem is that most laws, including gambling laws, are written prior to the emergence of the internet and interactive gaming. Moreover, it takes quite a bit of effort from lawmakers to amend the current statutes appropriately. So, online gambling and poker sites that reside outside of the US skirt between the lines of the law by hearkening to the fact that there is no explicit prohibition on online casinos or poker in the law.

In other words, if you search for NH online casinos or poker sites, you absolutely can find options to play. It’s probably an overstatement to declare these sites as flatly illegal, but they’re not exactly legal, either. Surprisingly, though, the main reasons why playing on one of these sites is a bad idea has nothing to do with the legality of them.

These sites reside in countries outside the US, both in terms of their corporate leadership and their servers. So, the US government and the New Hampshire state government have absolutely no way to monitor, regulate, or enforce any standards on these sites. Instead, you have to rely upon non-governmental regulatory bodies to police their business practices. Worse, you may even find that there is no oversight or that the regulators are not independent of the sites.

Types of legal gambling in New Hampshire

Obviously, the most prominent form of legal gambling in New Hampshire at this time is sports betting. However, there are several other types of gaming that you can enjoy inside the Granite State.

Sports Betting

Sports betting became legal in New Hampshire thanks to H 480-FN and a signature from Gov. Chris Sununu in 2019. The bill legalized both online and retail sports betting in the state.

Due to an extensive study, New Hampshire’s government chose to grant DraftKings a virtual monopoly over sports betting in the state. Thus, the first sportsbook app to launch (in December 2019) was DraftKings Sportsbook. Although other companies have had some success in getting licensed to operate, such as Intralot, DraftKings remains the sole provider of sports betting online in New Hampshire.

DraftKings is also powering the retail locations that have opened inside state lines. Live sportsbooks with DraftKings kiosks opened for business in Seabrook and Manchester in 2020, and more are on the way. In fact, Rep. Timothy Lang, the primary sponsor of H 480-FN, has submitted a bill to uncap the number of retail locations that may set up shop inside New Hampshire. HB 330 would allow for more than 10 spots for DraftKings sportsbooks to open.

Charitable Casinos

New Hampshire has chosen to expand its charitable gaming opportunities to almost every type of gambling under the sun. Remarkably, residents and visitors to the state can play poker, craps, blackjack, and other types of manually-dealt games administered by licensed charitable organizations.

The various locations throughout the state are home to more than 300 poker tables. Despite a $250 statewide buy-in cap and only being four years removed from a $4 maximum bet amount, the New Hampshire cardroom scene is thriving.

Interestingly enough, the one aspect of these that’s noticeably absent is slot machines. According to New Hampshire’s charitable gaming law, the use of any machines to do business is strictly prohibited.

Racebooks

At times, there have been several racetracks and off-track betting venues in the state of New Hampshire. Unfortunately, there is but one location active these days.

The only place that people in New Hampshire can wager on racing is at the New Seabrook Park, an off-track betting location, or online with a site like TVG. There is no live racing in New Hampshire at this time.

Lottery

New Hampshire is home to the first state-run lottery in the country. It began selling tickets in 1964.

Along with the iLottery, there are also numerous retail lottery opportunities throughout the state. Retail lottery fans in New Hampshire can choose from the following games:

• Fast Play
• Gimme 5
• Keno 603
• Lucky for Life
• Megabucks
• Mega Millions
• Pick 3/Pick 4
• Powerball
• Scratch-offs

New Hampshire Poker Laws

New Hampshire has a rather unique legal environment when it comes to poker. In a traditional sense, New Hampshire does not allow poker rooms or casinos in the state. However, that doesn’t mean that poker is not allowed. In fact, there are 17 different locations throughout the state where you can find a live poker game.

The poker scene in New Hampshire is due to the fact that New Hampshire’s laws regarding charitable gambling are some of the most expansive in the nation. Nonprofits and other authorized groups can use gambling games like poker to fundraise for themselves.

When charitable poker first became legal in New Hampshire, it required the maximum bet to be no more than $1 for any game. Subsequent amendments raised the max bet incrementally over the years, but a 2015 law put an end to the bet limitations. However, the law still maintains that players cannot buy in for more than $250 in a game session, so the games in New Hampshire can never get too big. With that said, there are hundreds of poker tables with games running on any given night in the Granite State, and the industry shows no signs of slowing down.

Unfortunately, there is no law to regulate or authorize online poker in the state right now. So, all legal poker in New Hampshire must be played live. For the time being, it seems that the status quo will remain in effect, too. So far, there have been no major pushes to bring online poker to New Hampshire, but with the budding success of online sports betting continuing to develop, you never know where lawmakers will turn next.

Are there land-based casinos in New Hampshire?

Usually, this question is a yes or no proposition. However, for New Hampshire, the answer is sorta. There are establishments that refer to themselves as casinos, there are gambling games played onsite, but they are not casinos in the traditional sense.

What New Hampshire has actually done is expand the options available to charitable organizations to an unusual degree. Where many states might allow charitable bingo and raffles, New Hampshire nonprofits can offer poker games, blackjack, craps, and almost any other game that does not require a machine to facilitate. In other words, most games aside from slot machines are permissible.

The named casinos in New Hampshire are more accurately described as enhanced sports bars. They have all the trappings of a sports bar – massive televisions, extensive beer selection, etc. – but have an extra section with table games and live poker. At present, there are 17 locations throughout New Hampshire that offer charitable casino gaming. You can find them in the table below:

Name	Address	Phone Number
Lakes Region Casino	1265 Laconia Road Belmont	(603) 267-7778
Northwoods Casino	155 Emery Street Berlin	(603) 723-9550
Concord Casino	67 S Main Street Concord	(603) 227-1175
Conway Poker Room	234 White Mountain Highway Conway	(603) 669-6194
Dover Poker Room	887 B Central Avenue Dover	(603) 742-9632
Aces & Eights Casino	169 Ocean Blvd. Hampton	(603) 560-7676
Ocean Gaming at Hampton Beach	81 Ocean Boulevard, 2nd Floor Hampton	(603) 601-6690
Keene Casino	216 West Street Keene	(603) 903-0181
Wonder Casino	172 Emerald Street, Suite 101 Keene	(603) 762-0202
Lebanon Poker Room & Casino	45 Hanover Street Lebanon	(603) 678-5906
Filotimo	1279 South Willow Street Manchester	(603) 668-6591
Boston Billiard Club & Casino	55 Northeastern Boulevard Nashua	(603) 943-5630
The American Social Club	166 Daniel Webster Highway Nashua	(833) 255-8272
The River Casino & Sports Bar	53 High Street Nashua	(603) 881-9060
SpeakEasy Casino	78 Wakefield Street Rochester	(603) 332-0107
Chasers Poker Room	7 Veterans Memorial Parkway Salem	(603) 912-4604
The Brook	319 New Zealand Road Seabrook	(702) 726-8522

Types of games at New Hampshire casinos

New Hampshire charitable casinos have quite a bit of latitude when it comes to the games that they can offer. If it can be manually dealt or managed, it is probably legal under the New Hampshire statutes, so you can find a great deal of variety from location to location. Games commonly found in New Hampshire casinos include:

• Live poker (Texas Hold’em)
• Blackjack
• Roulette
• Craps
• 3 Card Poker
• Spanish 21
• Let It Ride
• Mississippi Stud

In addition, you can find some lesser-known games, depending on the location you visit. The only major omissions in the game lineup are slot machines and video poker. Due to the law, casino locations are prohibited from operating what are termed “gambling machines.” Thus, every gambling game in New Hampshire must be touched by human hands to be legal.

Tribal casinos in New Hampshire

Federally-recognized Native American tribes have had the ability to negotiate compacts with their states to operate casinos for more than three decades. Unfortunately, there are no federally-recognized Native American tribes in the state of New Hampshire. So, there are no tribal casinos that you can visit in the Granite State.

History of gambling in New Hampshire

Gambling in New Hampshire is in fine form at this moment. The moderately recent launches of both online and retail sports betting in the state have added to a surprisingly robust gambling scene, given New Hampshire’s population and location. New Hampshire residents and visitors have any number of opportunities available at their fingertips or just down the road. From online sports betting, horse betting, and iLottery to charitable casinos with poker, blackjack, craps, and other table games, there’s always something to do in the Granite State. Here’s how we arrived at this point:

• 1964 – The New Hampshire Lottery debuts as the first modern lottery game in the US. The launch begins New Hampshire’s foray as one of the earliest adopters of lottery games in the country. Along with this launch, New Hampshire is also part of the first multi-state lottery agreement (with Vermont and Maine) in 1985.
• 1977 – New Hampshire expands its charitable gaming options to include poker and most other table games as authorized games for nonprofit fundraising. Bingo, which was already legal in the state, is now categorized with these other games. The expansion is broad enough to allow for the creation of casino-like properties in New Hampshire.
• 2006 – Online horse betting becomes legal in New Hampshire. Ironically, the law that authorizes online horse betting’s status change is a bane to online casinos and online poker in the US. The Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) puts the hammer down on most online gaming in the US, but contains an explicit carveout for horse betting.
• 2017 – New Hampshire legalizes daily fantasy sports. The law, HB 580-FN-A, contains extremely favorable terms for companies looking to offer DFS inside state lines. Although the companies must register with the state, there is no tax or fee associated with registration or operation. Thus, New Hampshire is a fairly wide open locale for DFS play.
• 2018 – The New Hampshire Lottery introduces iLottery games to the public. These games allow New Hampshire inhabitants to place bets on instant win games through their computers or mobile devices. They are the closest gambling game to slot machines permitted in New Hampshire.
• 2019 – In a six-month period, New Hampshire authorizes both online and retail sports betting and bears witness to the first online sportsbook launch. DraftKings’ debut in December kicks off with a wager from Gov. Chris Sununu, who bets that the New England Patriots will win the 2020 Super Bowl. Sadly for Sununu, the Patriots fall short in the AFC Wild Card round, losing by a touchdown to the Tennessee Titans. However, the first retail sportsbook in New Hampshire opens in mid-2020, so it’s not all bad news for Sununu.

Related Resources

Legal sports betting in New Hampshire could start as early as January 2020. That’s an optimistic timeline, but when Governor Chris Sununu signed the H480bill into law in July, he said:

“I told my team, I said, ‘Look, I don’t care how we do this, but we’re going to be fair about it,’ and I’m going to be placing a bet on Tom Brady and the over before this season is done. You guys have got to go fast, fast, fast. And it looks like we’re on track, we’re hoping to get some stuff open as soon as January.”

The time frame depends on several factors, not least of which is whether the regulator, the Division of Sports Wagering can set up the new regulations fast enough.

New Hampshire is carving out its own model of sports betting regulation. The state has no licensed casinos, so using casinos as the conduit for legal sports betting is a non-starter. All sports betting will be under the aegis of the Lottery Commission which is how its done in other states like Oregon and the District of Columbia.

Where New Hampshire differs is that it isn’t going for a pure state monopoly. Instead it is creating a competitive market similar to the way things are done in Nevada or New Jersey.

Innovation takes time, so a competitive bidding process is in place to select the market entrants. This may make Sununu’s hope for a January start unachievable. Nevertheless, early Spring is definitely on the cards.

New Hampshire online sports betting law

Under the new law, the state can offer licenses for up to 10 retail locations and five online/mobile sports betting operators.

At the end of October, the authorities selected DraftKingsas the first operator to qualify to offer mobile and retail sports betting. DraftKings will reportedly be the only online sports betting operator in the state — at least for a while.

Unlike other states which have a specific sports betting tax, New Hampshire operators bid for their authorization by committing a percentage of their revenues to the state.

The amount varies depending on whether it is derived from mobile or retail sports betting. In a sense, the operators are being asked to compete for how much tax to pay. This seems to be a great “game theory” optimal method of collecting the maximum in revenues. On the other hand bids that offer too much to the state could reduce the cash available for marketing promotions.

Revenue share not sports betting taxes

DraftKings offered to pay 51 percent of its mobile sports betting revenue with the state if it becomes the sole operator. The percentage drops to 21 if there are two or three operators authorized and again to 16 percent if the state allows four or five brands in the market.

The huge drop if DraftKings is not alone in the market indicates the size of advantage a monopoly position would give it.

ROAR, the joint venture between MGM and GVC offered only 20 percent. Assuming that New Hampshire isn’t going to go for a monopoly situation, the blended sports betting tax equivalent rate on mobile should be between 15 and 20 percent.

That tax rate is in the sweet spot where it should encourage the greatest proportion of sports bettors to play at the legal sites and simultaneously generate the maximum revenue.

For retail sports betting DraftKings opted for an offer of 40 percent regardless of how many licenses are issued.

Other key elements of the new law are:

• The minimum legal for betting age is 18
• Remote registration is permitted for online sports betting
• In-play betting is only available online
• In-state collegiate betting is not permitted

When will the first sports bets be placed in New Hampshire?

The first legal sports bets could go live before the end of the NFL season, possibly in time for the annual March Madness.

Unlike other states where bricks and mortar casinos call the shots, mobile sports betting should go live first. Typically casinos get their retail sports betting running before adding the complication of mobile sports betting. In the absence of commercial casinos, there no reason to delay mobile sports betting.

In any case, mobile sports betting is likely to generate more revenue than retail sports betting. The operators have a strong incentive to get the most money back on their investment as soon as possible.

Where can I make legal sports bets in New Hampshire?

As yet it is not known what retail locations will be authorized. The law states that “sports book retail locations may be collocated with other commercial businesses or general commercial retail locations.”

However, the locations must be approved by a local vote in the town or city that wants them. The law even specifies the text of the question to be put to the vote:

“Shall we allow the operation of sports book retail locations within the town or city?”

The democratic process may be admirable, but it has the potential to lead to further delays. Operators can’t begin to invest in retail premises for sports betting unless they are confident they will be approved.

Modern sports betting venues are pretty high tech with lots of screens surrounding an area where better can sit, relax and watch the games. They aren’t cheap, and they can’t be built overnight.

The good news is that mobile and online sports betting will be available throughout the state. Note that geolocation technology is extremely effective.

New Hampshire sports betting is legal under state law, so it is only legal within the state borders. If you step outside the state it is illegal for operators to take your bets. Any bets you place before leaving will continue and you will receive any winnings, but the geo-location technology will prevent any sports wagering not inside New Hampshire territory.

How old do I have to be to bet in New Hampshire?

The minimum legal age to make sports bets in New Hampshire is 18.

Online operators have extensive age and identity verification procedures in place, so don’t try to use a parent’s ID or credit card to create an account. It won’t work.

Can I make bets online in New Hampshire?

Online sports betting is legal in New Hampshire. You do not have to be resident in the state, but you do have to be located within the borders to bet online.

Sports bettors with accounts in other states cannot use them to place sports bets in New Hampshire. Even if the same operator is active in several markets, the law doesn’t recognize sports betting accounts from other states.

If you do have a New Jersey account with DraftKings, for example, you must open a new account with DraftKings in New Hampshire. Some operators have procedures to speed this process, and even allow interstate account funds transfers, however this is not yet common.

If you already bet at an online sports betting site while you are in New Hampshire, you are using an offshore site that is illegal.

As soon as legal New Hampshire sites become available you should switch to the regulated market. This will provide protection for you and your money as well as offering a much better service than the offshore sites provide.

How do I open an online account?

To open an online sports betting account in New Hampshire you must visit the relevant site and follow the sign-up procedure.

Most sites offer a browser-based experience, but for some you will need to download the software to your PC. To open an account from your mobile device, you will need to download the appropriate app for either Apple iOS or Android.

Before starting the sign-up process, check that the sports betting software includes a statement that the site is licensed and regulated in New Hampshire. You do not want to open an account and deposit funds at an illegal offshore website by mistake.

The sign-up process is simple and just requires you to enter your personal details into an online form.

To place a bet you must first make a deposit. Some operators allow you to make a free bet before you deposit, but in either case you must prove your identity and age before you can cash out.

This is straightforward, with some operators enabling the whole thing to be done from your mobile phone.

Tick, software installed: Tick account set up: Tick funds in your new account. Now you are ready to start betting!

How do I make a deposit at a New Hampshire sports betting site?

Unlike Nevada, New Hampshire does not demand that customers register in person before they can start sports betting. There’s no need to visit a casino to make a deposit, everything can be done online.

The exact deposit methods permitted by each online operator will vary. Popular methods available in other jurisdictions include:

• Credit/debit cards including Visa and Mastercard
• Online bank transfer
• PayPal
• NETELLER
• ACH eCheck
• PayNearMe

PayNearMe is a service offered in local stores such as 7/11 so there is an option to make your first deposit in cash if required.

How do I withdraw my winnings?

Withdrawals are as easy as deposits. usually you us the same method to withdraw that you used to deposit, but if you prefer to get a check in the post, or a transfer to your bank account this is equally easy.

Note that fast, reliable withdrawals are one of the biggest advantages of betting at legal sports betting sites. If you have ever tried to get money off an offshore site, you will know that the process is not at all straightforward and can often take days or weeks.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) made it illegal for offshore sites to use the US banking system to process financial transactions. Obviously this does not apply to the newly legal sports betting operators in New Hampshire.

New sports betting customer promotions will be available

In a new market there is an advantage in gaining early market share, so operators will be hungry to attract new customers. This manifests itself in some extremely attractive promotions to encourage sports fans to sign-up to sports betting accounts.

The sports betting operators are also eager to attract existing sports bettors away from the offshore sites.

The result is that sports bettors will be faced with seemingly unreal offers. The reason the offers are real is that operators work on the basis of the lifetime value of a customer.

Customers who find a sports betting site that suits them tend to stay for a long time. It’s a lot easier to offer several hundred dollars to acquire a new customer than it is to attract customers away from sports betting sites where they already feel comfortable.

Typically an initial offer will include a matching bonus. This is where the operator offers to pay an amount equal to your first deposit into your account.

There is a catch here. Normally you have to wager at least the amount of the bonus before receiving the free money. Before choosing your account it makes sense to check whether you have to wager just the amount of your deposit or a multiple of it before you win the bonus.

The other common incentive are free bets. Here the operator offers literally a free bet. Typically you get from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars which you can use to bet as soon as you open your account. If you win the winnings are yours. If you lose no money is taken from your account.

Sports betting Loyalty schemes

Most, but not all online sports betting operators offer loyalty or VIP schemes.

You receive points in the VIP club for each bet you make. Often the scheme is tiered so that the value of points increases as you move up the tiers.

Points can be exchanged in an online store for benefits including cash, free bets and merchandise.

Don’t overlook the benefits of loyalty schemes. They are funded as part of an operator’s marketing expenses. Once they have attracted new customers it is in their interest to keep them.

You should consider the benefits of a specific loyalty scheme at the same time as you consider which sign-up bonus to choose. A low initial bonus can be offset by a valuable loyalty scheme, and vice versa.

Will the sports betting odds in New Hampshire be the same as in Las Vegas?

Sports betting odds are the price you are quoted for making a bet.

Most of the time, the odds will be the same as you would find in a Las Vegas casino. Some of the time they will be better and some of the time they will be worse.

New Hampshire isn’t Vegas. The market has different characteristics, so sports betting odds will sometimes vary.

The good news is that New Hampshire license fees and taxes are competitive with other states. This means that the operators can afford to give the best odds. When taxes are high it becomes difficult for sports betting operators to offer competitive odds.

If the odds aren’t at least as good as the offshore sites, it becomes much harder to attract players to the legal offer.

What games can I bet on?

One great thing about so many overseas companies entering the market is that they have developed odds for all sorts of sports from all around the world.

The top six sports for betting on in the US are:

• NFL football
• NBA basketball
• NHL hockey
• Soccer
• MLB baseball
• Boxing/MMA contests

Betting on the NFL is more popular than any other sports betting. However, modern sports betting apps offer betting on less popular sports such as golf, tennis, volleyball and even Olympic sports.

Each site has its own sports, but the list is often as long as your arm!

The important thing to remember is that all the sports where licensed operators quote odds have their own sports integrity protections and reliable data feeds for odds calculation and results verification.

A lot of money now goes into ensuring that sports where betting takes place are as fair as possible. Penalties for match-fixing are severe.

For reasons of game integrity, New Hampshire does not allow prop bets involving in-state college teams. Other college sports bets are fine.

Understanding odds

Odds are the price a sports betting operator sets for a particular bet. They can change very rapidly based on many factors.

Essentially the bookmaker works out the probability of a betting event happening and sets a price that is slightly in its favor. the difference between the true probability and the odds customers are quoted is known as the vig or vigorish. It’s where the bookmakers derive their profit.

In the US odds are normally quoted using Moneyline odds also known as American odds.

On the display of the odds either in a casino or on your mobile app, you will see a set of odds quoted for each team.

In front of the number there is a plus or minus sign. In moneyline odds all figures are quoted relative to a base figure of 100.

If there is a plus sign then you will win the quoted amount for every $100 that you bet. If you see odds quoted on your team as +200, then you will win $200 for every $100 that you bet. For different bet sizes you just calculate the amounts proportionally.

Odds of -200 mean you have to bet $200 to win $100. On top of the amount you win you receive your original stake back.

Most apps give you the option of seeing odds in the usual US way, or as fractional odds such as 1/2 or decimal odds where 1/2 is quoted as 1.5.

What bet types are there?

There are lots of different ways to bet on sports. The options can be confusing to beginners so below is a short summary of the most popular I use in the US today:

Moneyline

Moneyline wagers are ideal for beginners as they are the simplest form of sports betting. A moneyline bet is no more than a bet on which team or player will win a game.

Betting on the favorite will win less money than betting on the underdog, but obviously the odds of the underdog winning are lower.

If the odds are lower, you are less likely to win your bet.

Point Spread betting

Point Spread bets are bets on whether a team will score more or less than a line determined by he bookmaker.

One team is given points over the line and the other team has the same number of points below the line.

You win a spread bet when a team “covers the spread”, that is it wins by the number of points above the line, or if you are betting on their opponents, when they lose by less than the number of points under the line.

Over-Under/Totals

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An over-under bet is also called a totals bet. These are bets where you predict whether the combined score of both teams in a game will be more or less than a specific number.

There are variations, but the basic over-under bet is on the final score of the game. If you bet the over and the score is higher than the quoted number you win. If you bet the under and the score is lower you win.

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Parlays

Parlay bets are some of the most popular ways to bet on sports. they allow you to wager a small amount of money with the chance of getting a very big payout.

Parlay bets combine a series of bets where you have to win every element of the parlay or you lose the whole bet.

Typically you might bet on the winners of a series of matches all taking place on the same day. If you guess all the winners correctly you will take home a big win.

The fun arises when you have correctly picked several legs of the parlay and are only one or two matches away from winning life-changing money from a small wager.

Of course the high potential payouts also mean there is only a small chance of winning, but you get a lot of fun (and tension) on the way.

Round Robins

A Round Robin ties several parlay bets together. You choose a number of teams and tie a few of them together in a parlay.

I.e. an 8 line bet includes 8 teams and if you tie 3 together, then your round robin includes wagers on every combination of parlays between every three teams, a total of 56 separate parlay bets.

Futures

Futures are bets on an event where the outcome won’t be known until a future date.

They are often bets on events that won’t be known until the end of a season such as a bet on who will win the league.

You can use futures bets to wager on which teams might make the Super Bowl, or which players will make the finals of the Wimbledon tennis championships.

In-Game Betting

In-game betting is something only possible with reliable real-time game data. The big sports betting operators have this at hand so can quote odds that change rapidly.

In-game bets are made after a match has started. You don’t have to pick the winner before the game starts, you can wait and see how the teams perform before placing your bet.

Of course, the sportsbook operator is studying the form too, so the odds change as the game progresses. If you have bet on one team to win and the play is going against them, then you can place an in-game bet to protect your losses.

Other in-game bets available might be on the score at the end of a quarter or which player will score next.

These bets make watching games a lot more exciting and have become enormously popular wherever they are legal.

What is cashing out a bet early?

One great new feature of modern sports betting is closely related to in-game betting. Many operators now allow you to cash out a bet early whether you look like winning or losing.

If a game starts and your team is playing below par, you can cash out your bet before the end of the match. You won’t get all your money back, but you’ll get a proportion based on the probability of your bet winning when you request the cashout.

On the other hand you can lock in your winnings if your team is ahead. If you are worried about a final quarter comeback by your opponents, can you pocket most of your winnings early.

What companies will be offering sports betting?

Not all the top sports betting companies will be coming to New Hampshire. The new law limits mobile sports betting licenses to five and there will be only 10 retail sports betting locations.

So far DraftKings is the only operator to be selected to operate in New Hampshire. In total 13 operators submitted bids, six wanting a mobile contract and all 13 looking for a retail sports betting deal.

The system is somewhat opaque but successful bidders will be based on qualifying scores over a range of factors including how much of their revenues they are prepared to contribute.

The initial bidders were:

• Crown Gaming (DraftKings)
• Kambi
• ROAR (MGM/GVC)
• IGT/William Hill
• FanDuel
• Churchill Downs/BetAmerica
• Intralot
• Foxwoods/NHMS
• Addison Global
• NewGioco
• BetConstruct
• Lupoli
• Boston Billiards

Intralot operates the state lottery and was hoping to get the first mobile contract.

Further bidding rounds take place so a final list of who will operate what will not be known until early in 2020.

Are there new sports betting taxes?

No, New Hampshire is not introducing new sports betting taxes. The state is introducing a system where the authorized operators share their revenues with the state.

The first winning bidder, DraftKings agreed to share 51 percent of its mobile revenues—assuming it had a monopoly, and 40 percent of its retail revenues.

Sports bettors will not be paying any extra sports betting taxes directly.

Who is the New Hampshire sports betting regulator if I have a problem?

Sports betting will get its very own regulator according to the new laws in New Hampshire. The law directs the New Hampshire Lottery Commission to create a Division of Sports Wagering.

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The new Division will be the go-to guy for all matters pertaining to sports betting regulation but will not be open to the public until closer to the launch in early Spring.

I bet at an offshore site. Should I move to a New Hampshire regulated site?

There are some very good reasons to stop playing at an illegal offshore sports betting site:

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• In the regulated market your money is safe. There are protections against fraud and legal recourse if anything goes wrong.
• If you win you know you will get your winnings, this can’t be guaranteed when you bet offshore.
• Legal sites aren’t run by terrorists or organized crime. You don’t know who owns an offshore site or where your money is going.
• In-game betting is almost absent from offshore sites. Illegal sites don’t have access to the legal data sources that legal sites do. That means they can’t offer the same range of bet types or often sports as the legal operators.
• Legal sites monitor your betting for indications of problem gambling. If they see anything to give concern they will email you and point you in the direction of help.

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If you get better service and legal protection at a state regulated site that offers excellent odds and better betting options why bother playing illegally?