Guide to New Hampshire Gambling Age: Casinos, Sports Betting & More

New Hampshire is not known as a hub for gambling in the US, with no legal land-based casino gambling and limited forms of online gambling available it is not a destination for those who want a wide range of gambling options. However, for those residents who are sports fans and love a state lottery there are still some forms of legal gambling available.

While there may not be many forms of gambling available in the state, it is quite liberal when it comes to legal New Hampshire gambling ages, with a few legal forms of gambling allowing residents who are 18 years and older to participate.

In the table above you can find the legal gambling ages for each form of legal gambling in New Hampshire, as you can see the legal gambling ages range from 18-21. If there isn’t a gambling age below a form of gambling listed in the table then that form is probably illegal in New Hampshire.

In the sections below we will go into more detail about the legal standing of each form of popular gambling in New Hampshire while also letting you know more details about the legal gambling ages for each form of legal gambling. We will also offer some insight into the current legal landscape for gambling in New Hampshire and if there could be any upcoming changes.

Casino Age in New Hampshire

Unlike many of its neighboring states New Hampshire has no land-based casinos. New Hampshire is very conservative in terms of gambling and has been reluctant to adopt any form of traditional casino gambling, meaning that that there are not even any casinos located on tribal lands within New Hampshire’s state boarders. As there are no casinos for residents of New Hampshire to gamble in, there is no legal casino New Hampshire gambling age.

So strict is New Hampshire’s approach to casino gambling that even cruise ships have to turn off any gambling machines they might have on board when they enter New Hampshire’s waters. The only loophole that allows any form of land-based casino type gambling is a an allowance that lets organizations to host games of chance when the gaming is raising money for a charitable organization.

Several attempts have been made over the years to legalize casino gambling in New Hampshire, many of them led by members of the state legislature who see what benefits could be reaped through the revenue streams commercial casino gambling creates. Sadly, none of these attempts to legalize casino gambling have succeeded as the more conservative approach to gambling is still favored by the majority of New Hampshire’s state legislature.

What are The Casinos In New Hampshire that accept 18 year Olds?

There are no casinos in New Hampshire that accept 18 year olds, casino gambling is illegal in New Hampshire and therefore no residents can gamble at one. There are some forms of gambling that 18 year olds can enjoy in New Hampshire, the state lottery, Daily Fantasy Sports, pari-mutuel betting and bingo are all open to residents over the age of 18.

As New Hampshire is very conservative in its approach to gambling, it is unlikely that any form of casino gambling will be made legal in the state anytime soon, let alone casinos that allow entry to 18 year olds.

Sports Betting In New Hampshire

The most recent addition to New Hampshire’s limited list of legalized gambling is sports betting. In July 2019 legislation was passed that legalized both online and in-person sports betting across the Granite State. All sports betting will be managed by the state Lottery Commission which means that any revenue created through bets placed will be funneled straight back into state funded initiatives and infrastructure.

The legal New Hampshire gambling age for participating in sports betting is 21, which is slightly older than other forms of legalized gambling in the state – but makes sense when you consider how conservative the state can be when adopting newer forms of gambling.

While sports betting was legalized in July 2019, it took a while for the appropriate infrastructure to be put in place to support it. Online sports betting went live in early 2020, with in person sports betting to be implemented in the following months. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic the roll out of in person sports betting has been delayed, but the hope is it will be up and running in the latter half of 2020 for all residents of New Hampshire to enjoy.

One form of sports gambling that has been legal in New Hampshire for many years is pari-mutuel betting on horse races. Pari-mutuel betting has been legal in New Hampshire since 1933, making it one of the earlier adopters of this form of gambling in the US, initially this only covered horse racing but the law was amended in 1971 to include greyhound races as well, but greyhound racing was abolished in the state in 2010.

Pari-mutuel betting has traditionally been widely supported by New Hampshire residents, with many enjoying the social aspect of horse racing in the summer months. Sadly, due to a downturn in the horse-racing industry there is only one racetrack still operating in the Granite State. Unlike the newly legalized sports betting there is no online format for pari-mutuel betting in New Hampshire and all wagering must take place in person at either the state’s singular racetrack or licensed off track betting locations.

With sports betting only recently legalized in New Hampshire it would seem incongruous to predict that any changes will be made to these laws in the near future. Residents of New Hampshire can only hope that the in-person sports betting facilities will be up and running as soon as possible.

NH Online Gambling Age

Like many other states in the US New Hampshire has not legalized online casino gambling. As there is no in person casino gambling it fits that there is also no online equivalent. Further as there is no online casino gambling there is no legal online gambling age for New Hampshire.

One area of wagering that is online, which we discussed above, is online sports betting which went live in early 2020. Using the state licensed DraftKings Sportsbook to power the state’s mobile NH sports betting New Hampshire residents are able to place bets on all major college and professional sports if they are above the age of 21.

While online casino gambling is illegal in New Hampshire residents still might be able to access offshore gambling websites that allow players over the age of 18 to wager with them. However, these websites aren’t licensed or overseen by the US commerce commission therefore if players have any issues they won’t have any recourse against the websites operators as they will not be covered by US consumer protection laws. Basically, while offshore websites can be accessed, gambling with them is a risky proposition and New Hampshire residents should take this into consideration when decided whether to gamble on them.

While online casino gambling isn’t legal in New Hampshire, there are still other forms of gambling residents can enjoy in the Granite State, to check up on what forms of gambling are legal and the legal gambling age associated to each take a look at our easy to read New Hampshire gambling age table in the top section of this page.

Online Poker/Poker Gambling Age

Like all other online casino gambling online poker is considered illegal in New Hampshire. While there is no specific law that outright names online poker as an illegal form of gambling, there is instead a widespread understanding that it falls under other legislation that bans games of chance for profit, like land-based casino gambling.

Not all hope is lost for fans of poker living in New Hampshire, land-based poker that takes place in non-house backed card rooms is legal. Card-rooms which are licensed and regulated by New Hampshire’s gambling authority, the Racing and Charitable Gaming Division, are able to host games of poker so long as the house does not have any stake in the games being played. Like other forms of legal land-based gambling, such as sports betting, the legal gambling age for playing poker in person in New Hampshire is 21.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Daily Fantasy Sports is legal in New Hampshire for players above the age of 18. After operating in the state under implied legality for several years New Hampshire state finally decided to officially legislate Daily Fantasy Sports legality in 2017. Daily Fantasy Sports could be considered the most popular form of gambling currently present in New Hampshire. Over 200,000 of New Hampshire’s residents are active on their Daily Fantasy Sports accounts, this equates to around 15% of the state population.

New Hampshire’s conservative state legislators were persuaded to legalize Daily Fantasy Sports as it has been defined as a game of skill rather than chance, and therefore not considered a form of gambling as defined by the state’s criminal code. Interestingly when the legislation legalizing Daily Fantasy Sports was being finalized the state decided to not impose any tax on operators as this would even the playing field, allowing smaller Daily Fantasy Sports operators to compete with the big names such as FanDuel and DraftKings without being hindered by financial barriers.

Legal Age to Play the Lottery in New Hampshire

In contrast with New Hampshire’s normally conservative approach to gambling both in person and online lottery are legal in the Granite State. In person lottery has been available to residents of New Hampshire who are above the age of 18 since 1977, which was joined by an online lottery after the Supreme Court reinterpreted the Federal Wire Act 1961 in 2011.

New Hampshire’s lottery is run by New Hampshire Lottery and is considered the oldest Lottery in the US. While the modern form of New Hampshire’s lottery was legalised in 1977 a state wide sweepstake had been in place since 1963. The current form of state lottery offers residents the opportunity to enjoy some of the US’s most popular lottery games like Powerball, Mega Millions and Lucky for Life.

The state’s online lottery was most likely legalized as the state’s lottery has been so successful in raising money for public education in the state, with over $2 billion raised to date. Online lottery opens up the lottery to residents in the state who might not be close to a physical retailer and those who prefer to participate from the comfort of their own homes.

New Hampshire Gambling Laws & Future Outlook

New Hampshire’s gambling laws are entrenched in the state legislature under the Criminal Code and further codes that outline the legalized forms of gambling. Under the Criminal code gambling is defined as ‘Risking something of value upon a future contingent not under one’s control or influence, upon an agreement or understanding that something of value will be received in the event of a certain outcome’. This broad definition of gambling creates a wide catchment for what could be considered illegal gambling.

All legal forms of gambling in New Hampshire have specific legislation that outlines its legality and the rules of governance for each. In a logical move the legislation that legalizes forms of gambling can be found under the same title, Title XXIV, in New Hampshire’s legislation. Currently, this section bestows legality on pari-mutuel betting, charity raffles, card-rooms, lottery, sports betting and Daily Fantasy Sports.

New Hampshire’s gambling market is good for what forms of gambling are currently legalized. With an online lottery, the lottery is able to raise a significant amount of money for the state’s public education system. However, with few physical locations and no commercial casinos in New Hampshire the state’s gambling industry supports few jobs and is limited to making an economic impact via taxes raised from gambling operators and player’s winnings.

Gambling winnings in New Hampshire are taxed at an individual’s personal income tax rate, this is calculated at the end of each financial year when resident’s file income tax returns. With some forms of gambling though there is also a federal tax due on winnings above a certain threshold. In Daily Fantasy Sports if a player wins over $600 then 25% of the winnings are withheld as federal tax. Further, in the state lottery if a player wins over $5,000 then they must pay 25% in federal tax.

The current outlook for gambling in New Hampshire is a positive one, with sports betting recently legalized and in the process of being rolled out across the state, there will soon be plenty of new forms of gambling for New Hampshire’s residents to enjoy.

The only additional form of gambling that is currently illegal in New Hampshire and could be legalized is commercial casino gambling. There have been several moves over the years to try and get the states legislation to legalize commercial casino gambling. However. the conservative side of the government tends to win in these discussions. Until a powerful enough argument for commercial casino gambling can be put to the state legislature it will most likely remain illegal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Hopefully this page has provided you with a good overview of the current gambling landscape in New Hampshire, as well as letting you know the state’s legal gambling ages. If you still have any questions regarding the laws surrounding gambling and legal gambling ages, take a look at the answers to our most frequently asked questions below. For more info on other US states, head over to our page that compares all US legal gambling ages