
A proposal to raise the legal sports betting age in New Hampshire from 18 to 21 has been rejected.
During Monday’s House Ways and Means Committee executive meeting, members voted 11-7 against House Bill 83, finding it “inexpedient to legislate.” This means the measure is now essentially dead.
At the moment, New Hampshire is one of only four jurisdictions that allow 18-year-olds to legally place sports bets, alongside Kentucky, Wyoming and Washington, D.C. The issue was discussed at length last week at a public hearing, where members of the Massachusetts Council on Gaming argued in favor of raising the age.
Motivation for the bill stemmed from concerns over an increase in problem gambling among younger bettors. However, opponents like Republican Rep. Cyril Aures portrayed the proposal as a liberty issue, saying “If (young people) want to bet with their money, let them bet.”

Some also pointed to the impact it would have on state finances. Keeping the minimum age at 18 will save the state an estimated $320,000 in revenue for 2026, with that figure expected to double each ensuing year.
The earliest the proposal can now be revisited is January 2026, though no determinations have been finalized.
Online sports betting has been legal in New Hampshire since December 2019, with industry titan DraftKings operating as the lone sportsbook. The state is also home to four retail sportsbooks: Filotimo Casino and Restaurant in Dover and Manchester, the Brook in Seabrook, and Gate City Casino in Nashua.
Betting on in-state colleges — including player prop bets — is prohibited in the Granite State, similar to locations such as Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island.
The state has performed relatively well in recent years, with revenue from sports betting increasing from $66.7 million in 2022 to a record $80 million in 2023 despite a slight dip in handle. During that same time, the hold percentage rose from 7.5% to 9.7%. Figures for 2024 will be released later this year.

Gaming expansion figures to be a hot topic over the next few months, with state senators filing a bill that would legalize online casino play by Jan. 1, 2026. SB 168, proposed by Sen. Timothy Lang, Sen. Daniel Innis, Sen. Howard Pearl and Sen. Keith Murphy, was referred to the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Jan. 23.
The proposal includes issuing between three to six licenses for online gambling operators. The legal age would also be 18, making it the first state to allow 18- to 20-year-olds to gamble at online casinos. Six states currently have legal iGaming — Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia — and a handful of others are expected to explore legislation in 2025.
State legislators failed in their attempt to legalize online casino play in 2023.