While it may be known as the Granite State, there has been a steady chipping away of New Hampshire’s sports-betting handle in recent months.
The New Hampshire Lottery Commission recently reported that the total sportsbook handle for the state in June was approximately $39.3 million, 7.3 percent lower than the nearly $42.4 million reported for May.
Most of June's handle came from mobile sports betting, as there was $31 million in online wagering and $8.2 million in retail action in the state. June was also the third straight month that New Hampshire’s combined handle has contracted.
Even so, the take by the state and its sole sportsbook operator was up in June.
New Hampshire’s gross gaming revenue from sports wagering, which is handle minus payouts to winning bettors and some promotional costs, was about $3.9 million last month, an increase over May's $3.1 million. As a result, the unofficial hold for June was approximately 9.9 percent, up from around 7.3 percent in May.
DraftKings Inc. has an exclusive contract for mobile and retail sports betting in the state with the New Hampshire Lottery, which receives 51 percent of gross gaming revenue minus promotional expenses. The state's revenue share was $1.8 million in June, up from $1.4 million in May.
There goes the neighborhood
New Hampshire’s slowdown in sports wagering since March, a typically busier time for bettors, is not unexpected. However, New Hampshire’s steadily declining handle of late comes as New England’s sports-betting scene is on the cusp of becoming more competitive, which could make wagering revenue even harder to come by.
Connecticut is putting the pieces together to launch legal sports betting in the not-too-distant future, pending a sign-off from the federal government. Lawmakers in Massachusetts, meanwhile, are taking another run at passing legalization legislation of their own, citing the fact that many residents are already driving to neighboring states such as New Hampshire to place bets.
“They're either taking that short drive up to New Hampshire, or to Rhode Island, where it's legal,” Massachusetts Rep. Jerry Parisella said earlier this month. “Or they're also going on their phones and using offshore applications, those sportsbooks ... to bet. Or they're also going to a bookie.”
