The New Hampshire Senate has narrowly approved online casino legislation by a vote of 12-11 and the bill now heads to the House of Representatives for debate.
Rep. Tim Lang’s SB 104 had earlier failed to pass following a vote of 11-12 on Thursday of last week. However, Senate President Jeb Bradley immediately called a recess following the vote. After a few minutes of discussions, the Senate returned to reconsider the bill. A second vote then took place and the bill was approved.
This marks the first piece of online casino legislation to receive a successful vote by either a House or Senate in any state so far this year.
During debate, opponents to the bill argued that online casino gaming would have a negative impact on charitable casinos and the charities that collect revenues through these bricks and mortar venues.
Speaking ahead of the vote, Sen. Daryl Abbas explained:
“I just keep falling back to my biggest concern, which are the charities that these gaming houses have been so generous towards. But these charities, what they’ve done is come to rely on them. In my district, these are organizations that support children, veterans, they deal with homelessness, animal shelters, schools. I’m just not comfortable diluting that market to any extent. There’s too much unknown for me.”
According to Rep. Lang, online sports betting is already available in New Hampshire and it has not had any impact on the revenue from charitable gaming.
Lang noted that online versions of slot-like historical horse racing and Lucky 7 electronic games would be prohibited from online casinos thanks to a committee amendment. This would protect the charities as online casinos would only be allowed to offer table games.
Speaking on the floor Lang said:
“If you still want to go and play HHR, you must go to a brick-and-mortar location and have that money go to charity.”
He also added that online casinos must let their players know where the nearest land-based casino is located effectively promoting charitable gaming.
According to the bill the New Hampshire Lottery Commission will regulate online casinos and iGaming operators will be chosen through a competitive bidding process. The minimum age for online casino gaming will be set at 18.
Games permitted at online casinos will include:
- online poker
- blackjack
- roulette
- craps
- baccarat
Charitable gaming bill also passed
Lang also introduce another bill, SB 120, which would raise the betting limit for charitable gaming from $10 to $50. Tournament games’ buy-in and re-buy limits would be raised from $150 and $250 to $2,500. Similarly, the table stake limits would also increase from $150 to $2,500. It’s hoped that this will significantly increase charitable revenues and allay fears that online casinos would impact charitable casinos.
The bill was passed by the Senate and also makes its way to the House of Representatives.
Ciaran has been working within the Gambling Industry as a deep analyst since 2019. His deep knowledge and understanding of all the gambling regulations, and processes makes him a true asset, and an always valuable point of view for Gambling Industry News, allowing us to cover every topics from a brand new perspective.