On December 30, New Hampshire will become the second New England state after Rhode Island to have introduced mobile sports betting as an option.
New Hampshire Introducing Mobile Sports Betting Next Week
New Hampshire will become the next state in New England to introduce mobile sports betting, starting as early as next week. Previously, Rhode Island sought to boost interest in the activity by opening online gambling.
DraftKings will be the first company launching in New Hampshire on December 30, wrapping up 2019 with an important new market. This beats the original forecast of Gov. Chris Sununu who didn’t expect mobile betting to arrive sooner than January or February 2020.
All participants will have to be at least 21 years of age. To be able to bet online, players will need to have downloaded the app and register, the Associated Press reported. The latest announcement is a continuation of the state’s efforts to boost interest in sports betting.
With 1.35 million people, New Hampshire is a slightly better market than Rhode Island. Meanwhile, DraftKings managed to secure an important six-year partnership with the state last month, in November. Rhode Island may have pulled ahead of all other New England states, but others are now on their way to legalize their sports betting industries.
New Hampshire famously contested the Department of Justice (DOJ)’s latest Opinion on the Wire Act, although the DOJ hasn’t given up quite yet.
Sports Betting in New England States
Maine, Connecticut and Massachusetts are all on their way of having a fully-scaled sports betting industry, or already offer sports betting in the state. Connecticut is facing a slew of problems, however, including pushback from MGM Resorts.
MGM Resorts has filed a lawsuit in Washington D.C. seeking a reversal of the approval of a third tribal casino in the state. According to the preliminary agreement between the state and the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes, a third joint-property will be open, just 12 miles from MGM’s own casino venue in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Massachusetts has been actively pushing for a legalized sports betting framework. Gov. Charlie Baker has been among the most active proponents of the move. In fact, Baker authored one of the two sports betting bills introduced back in January, asking lawmakers to consider pushing ahead with a move to join Rhode Island and legitimize sports betting.
Baker and the state haven’t been able to reach an agreement during the 2019 legislative session, leaving sports betting up for debate in 2020. Maine has been the other state where things haven’t been moving at a lighting pace at all.
Meanwhile, a man in the state was sentenced for running a $20 million betting ring, which fetched him attention from the prosecutor’s office. New England can definitely benefit from approaching 2020 with a more open mind about sports betting.
Just like New Hampshire is about to do next week.