New Hampshire officials tout early success of sports gambling program

Gov. Chris Sununu/Twitter

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (left) places the first legal online sports bet in the state’s new program Dec. 30, 2019, in Manchester, New Hampshire.

By Sarah Downey | The Center Square

Even though the Patriots weren’t the winners, heading into Super Bowl weekend, the New Hampshire Lottery reported more than $1 million in sports betting net profit for education.

“In just one month, sports betting has generated over $1.2 million in net profit to the state, which goes directly toward supporting our education system – a win for kids,” Gov. Chris Sununu said in a news release posted on the NH Lottery website not long before the big game.

“There is no doubt that New Hampshire is already serving as New England’s go-to destination for sports betting, and we are just getting started,” Sununu added.

After a competitive bidding process, the state Lottery teamed up with DraftKings in late December to launch mobile and online sports betting. In the first month, the nearly 30,000 users who registered in New Hampshire wagered more than $17.3 million.

“Our initial results over the first month speak to just how significant it was that we were able to launch mobile and online sports betting in time for the NFL playoffs, and specifically the Super Bowl,” NH Lottery executive director Charlie McIntyre said in the release. “The Super Bowl is the single largest sports event of the year and we have seen incredible momentum building over the past few weeks. We are off to a tremendous start and we look forward to building on this success and continuing to maximize support for education in New Hampshire.”

DraftKings is the exclusive digital operator for sports betting in the Granite State, and its Sportsbook app lets state residents 18 and older bet on their favorite teams.

“The DraftKings Sportsbook app looks the same in all states where sports betting is legal,” the release said. “New Hampshire state laws do not allow wagers to be placed on college teams from the state or college games taking place within state lines. Sports fans can place bets on the DraftKings Sportsbook app via iOS and Android or online at Sportsbook.DraftKings.com.”

Image courtesy of Gov. Chris Sununu/Twitter