New Hampshire Lawmakers Propose Bill to Raise Minimum Sports Betting Age

New Hampshire lawmakers introduced a new bill, HB-83, which would raise the minimum age for residents to place sports bets in the Granite State from 18 to 21 if signed into law.

HB-83, sponsored by House Members Sallie Fellows (D) and Michael Cahill (D), could go into effect mid-2026

HB-83 is sponsored by House Members Sallie Fellows (D) and Michael Cahill (D). The effort to increase the sports betting minimum age to 21 also has the support of senators Ruth Ward (R) and Suzanne Prentiss (D).

If passed, the bill would likely go into effect mid-2026. Sponsors of the bill estimate that the state will lose about $640,000 per year in revenue since betting activity will dwindle for those under the age of 21.

In Fiscal Year 2024, state revenue from sports betting was $33.65 million, of which approximately 1.9% of gross gaming revenue came from gamblers under the age of 21.

This means the revenue attributable to bettors aged 18 to 20 in FY 2024 totaled $639,443.

New Hampshire has only one online sportsbook

Since this bill is effective halfway through FY 2026, it is expected to decrease state lottery revenue, and transfer to the education trust fund, by approximately $320,000 in FY 2026 and by $640,000 in FY 2027 and each year thereafter.

More importantly, HB-83 will negatively impact New Hampshire’s only online sportsbook, DraftKings. Although the state isn’t a huge contributor to the sportsbook’s revenues, operators are always searching for new ways to boost growth and maximize profits. Raising the legal age limit will not help that goal.

In addition to New Hampshire, only six other states and Washington, D.C. allow 18-year-olds to legally place sports bets: Kentucky, Montana, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Wyoming.

New Hampshire’s closest neighbors – Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont – set the sports betting minimum age at 21. Rhode Island is the only neighbor with a minimum age of 18.