Rep. Tim Lang & New Hampshire Closing in on In-Play Wagering

The Republican Party was devastated in the November 2020 elections. Republicans lost seats in states all over the country.
New Hampshire was one area of the United States where this was an exception. New Hampshire was the only state in the country where both the House and Senate were flipped from a Democrat to a Republican majority.

This flip has given legal New Hampshire sports betting room for growth in the near future. New Hampshire is closing in on in-play wagering at retail sportsbook within the state.

New Hampshire’s Original Sports Betting Bill

Republican Tim Lang proposed sports betting in the New Hampshire legislature back in 2019. Lang had a vision that was derailed by the Democrats. However, he compromised to bring sports betting to the state.

Lang knew the financial benefit that sports betting would have for the New Hampshire government. Countless Democratic legislators did their best to fight Lang’s legislation. Democrats as a whole were scared of implementing sports betting in New Hampshire.

Sports betting was passed but on a very limited basis. DraftKings Sportsbook has a monopoly in the state for retail and online sports betting.

Retail sportsbooks can’t offer in-play betting either. This wasn’t Lang’s original vision for sports betting in the state.

With the Republican Party taking over the majority in both the House and Senate, Lang will have an easier time enacting his desired sports betting framework in New Hampshire.

Possibility of In-Play Wagering

In 2019 when sports betting was introduced, Democrats did their best to limit the form of gambling. One way they did this was by banning in-play betting at retail sportsbooks. In-play betting is legal on the mobile sportsbook, but it can’t be done in person.

There is a massive market for in-play betting throughout the country. In-play betting is a type of wager that never ends, so this rule has hurt the popularity of retail sportsbooks. Lang filed an amendment to the original sports betting bill that would allow in-play wagering at retail sportsbooks.

He expects this change to pass with ease. It will have to go through the Ways and Means Committee, but he has no fear of the amendment stalling. The bill will become effective 60 days after it passes in the state legislature.

Other Possible Changes that Could Take Place

Lang’s new bill will eliminate the cap on the number of retail sportsbooks in the state. New Hampshire doesn’t have a large population considering the sheer size of the state. New Hampshire’s population is less than 1.5 million.

DraftKings will still have a monopoly in the state, but more retail books will be able to open. DraftKings pays New Hampshire 51% of its gross gaming revenue to maintain its monopoly.

There is currently one retail book in the state at The Brook Casino. Over 10 cities and towns in New Hampshire have approved landlocked sports betting locations.

Lang doesn’t believe that it makes sense to have over ten retail books in New Hampshire because of the number of people that live in the state. Although, if Lang’s bill passes, there will be no limit on the number of retail books that can operate in the state.