Online Casinos New Hampshire
- New Hampshire gambling law expert guide
- Review of the effective New Hampshire gambling regulations
- Online casinos in New Hampshire – expected changes
- 0 Legal Online Casinos
- 0 Legal Land Based Casinos
- 10 Legal Social Casinos
- 9 Legal Bingo / Lottery Games
- NH Gaming Commission
- National Council on Problem Gambling
- 21+
New Hampshire Online Casinos – Gambling Regulations in NH
Under the existing Gaming Bill, there are no legal commercial land-based casinos. And although online casinos New Hampshire fall in the grey area, as they have not been regulated at all, gambling online is considered a Misdemeanour Class B and any unlawful gambling is punishable by a fine up to 1.200$.
It’s unlikely that New Hampshire legislators will amend the gambling law to legalize and regulate the New Hampshire online casinos anytime soon. Still, you can keep an eye out for any upcoming changes in the New Hampshire gambling law. You also have access to the complete archive of all the NH gambling regulations and their full texts.
We’ll be looking in more detail into the future New Hampshire gambling laws and any prospect amendments further in this article, but keep in mind that at the present moment online casinos in New Hampshire are still illegal.
The History of Gambling in New Hampshire
Gambling in New Hampshire has never been very gambling-friendly, and our guess is that it has a lot to do with its assertive independence, as reflected in the “live free or die” motto. Gambling was first regulated back in 1933 with the legalization of horse racing. Greyhound racing also used to be legal until 2010, when it was banned.
In 1977 the state-regulated bingo and poker. Then in 2017, a very favourable house bill 580-FN-A was passed, giving online daily fantasy sport a green light. 2018 saw the introduction of iLottery games. And lastly, in 2019 the NH government legalized sports betting both online and retail.
And although there is a number of land-based casinos in New Hampshire, these are not your typical slot-filled gambling halls, rather enhanced sports bars with areas for card games. These card rooms self-describe as casinos but can hardly match the definition for a real casino. But since commercial casinos are banned, and there are no native casinos (since there are no tribes in NH), these poker rooms are the closest you will get to gambling in the state.
Summary of America’s Gambling History
- New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement
- Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
- Delaware Division of Gaming Enforcement
- West Virginia Lottery
- Michigan Gaming Control Board
The Federal Wire Act of 1961
One of the biggest impediments of the expansion of legalized betting in the US was the issuing of the Federal Wire Act in 1961 by President Kennedy. The statue banned interstate sports betting through wire communication. It had a long-lasting impact on the New Hampshire online gambling laws.
In 2011 the US DOJ stated that the Wire Act applies to sports betting and thus does not affect lottery sales over the Internet. Later, in 2018, the department reversed its interpretation with potential losses of billions of dollars. Finally, in 2019 the US District Court of NH ruled that the Wire Act applies only to betting on sporting events.
Black Friday in 2011
This date was another big blow on the gambling industry throughout the US. On April 15, 2011, the US Department of Justice indicted the top executives of the most successful poker sites and took down the domains abruptly. You see that the legalization of gambling in the US has always been very controversial, which has surely affected the legalization of New Hampshire online casinos.
Best-Loved Online Casino Games in the US
Online Blackjack in New Hampshire
As previously mentioned, all games of chance that can be manually dealt with or managed are legal in New Hampshire, so blackjack is a common game to play at non-profit casinos. And while it is still illegal to play blackjack at New Hampshire online casinos, judging from the habits of offline gamblers, the game would be very popular if it goes online.
One of the most preferred variations played in NH is the classic blackjack game. But there are some card rooms offering blackjack variants with side bets, so our guess is Blazing 777 Blackjack by Bally would be a real hit if online blackjack New Hampshire casinos are legalized. In this blackjack variation, you bet on how many sevens you are dealt.
Online Roulette in New Hampshire
Roulette is another card game regularly played offline in New Hampshire, but it is nowhere to be found online since online casinos in New Hampshire are not yet legalized. The state is very conservative about gambling. Although online gambling is unregulated because the law was forged in the pre-Internet era, there are no legal online casinos New Hampshire operators.
However, if online roulette were legal in New Hampshire, Spanish 21 would be one of the players’ favorites . This online roulette in New Hampshire can be found in many NH land-based card rooms and has proven its popularity in states where online casinos are legal, like New Jersey and Delaware.
Online Slots in New Hampshire
Slots are a big no-no when it comes to gambling in New Hampshire. According to the General Court: “the use of such machines siphons money away from legal, charitable gambling”, so they are strictly prohibited. And even if New Hampshire online casinos were legalized, slots would be the last to join the party.
If we had to make a wild guess, we’d say Starburst would be one of the first choices of many punters if online slots in New Hampshire become legal. This NetEnt title is one of the most popular slots globally and is already widely available at New Jersey online casinos.
Online Poker New Hampshire
We may sound like a broken record, but real-money online poker in New Hampshire is illegal just as any other online gambling game. The granite state has shown no interest in legalizing the game online, so residents can only play poker at charity establishments. But if New Hampshire online gambling laws are amended, we believe a very thriving poker community will instantly transfer to the online casinos New Hampshire sites.
NH gamblers are already familiar with many poker variations. The land-based poker rooms offer many variants Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Three-Card Poker, Mississippi Stud, and some local variations like New Hampshire Hold’em. If online poker in New Hampshire becomes a reality, Texas Hold’em would be the star in any online casino, much like in Pennsylvania, where poker is legal.
Are There Land-Based Casinos in New Hampshire?
| The River Casino & Sports Bar | 🍒 0 slot machines, 🃏 15+ table games |
|---|---|
| Chaser’s Poker Room & Casino | 🍒 0 slot machines, 🃏 16+ table games |
| Ocean Gaming Casino | 🍒 0 slot machines, 🃏 30+ table games |
Land-Based VS Online Casinos
While there are many land-based casinos in New Hampshire, these are hardly the flashy Las Vegas-style casinos. They are more like sports bars with tables for card games. The fact that no slot machines are allowed in the casinos takes away a lot of the fun. Fun fact: New Hampshire residents can privately own a slot machine on condition it is 25 years or older (talk about innovation!).
If legal online gambling in New Hampshire was allowed, it could bring so much more to the punters in terms of quality and quantity. We all know that hardly any land-based casino can rival the games portfolio of the online casino sites. The promotions are better, the bonuses are more generous, and it is generally just much more convenient to gamble online. Just take a look at the West Virginia casinos and you will see how different (as in better) online gambling is.
Online Casinos in New Hampshire – Upcoming Legislative Changes
The Future of Gambling in New Hampshire
Even if there had been a time when casinos would have brought significant revenue to the state coffers, that competitive opportunity is now in the past and New Hampshire online gambling laws aren’t likely to change. With huge casinos like the Wynn Resorts in the close-by Everett, and many more casinos in Massachusetts, Main and Connecticut, it would be counterproductive for casino operators to open up a new business in NH. So, we don’t expect any major changes in the New Hampshire gambling laws in the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, the online betting scene is not entirely empty. New Hampshirites can enjoy online sports betting and online lottery. Gamblers have at least a couple of decent opportunities to bet online with big names like DraftKings available online and the NH official lottery site.
To sum up:: No Legal Sites in New Hampshire
FAQs About Online Gambling New Hampshire
Undoubtedly, there are a lot of questions surrounding the New Hampshire online gambling laws. We gathered some of the most common questions people have about casinos in NH and provided concise answers. If you want to dig deeper into any of the subjects discussed, just follow our links to the respective paragraph.
Online Casinos and Land-Based Casinos in the Other States
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