Ten New Hampshire towns voted to permit the physical operation of retail sportsbooks on Tuesday, raising the number of communities in the Granite State to grant approval to 16 dating back to last fall.
Three communities that voted in favor of allowing sportsbooks — Derry, Salem, and Hudson — rank among the 10 largest populations in New Hampshire, according to 2010 U.S. census figures. Manchester, the largest city in the state, was among five communities that previously voted to permit a sportsbook in November after Franklin was the first to do so in an early election in October.
“The New Hampshire Lottery appreciates that legislators have given individual communities the ability to vote on sports betting … and we respect this critical process,” Charlie McIntyre, executive director of the New Hampshire Lottery, said in a statement. “With 10 more communities voting to allow sportsbook retail locations within their communities, we can continue to identify potential locations for physical sportsbooks.”
New Hampshire in July 2019 became the second state in New England to legalize sports betting behind Rhode Island. While the enabling legislation permitted licensure of up to 10 online sportsbooks and five operators of physical locations, the state’s Executive Council voted in November to make DraftKings the state’s sole retail and mobile operator, and the sports betting and daily fantasy titan went live Dec. 30.
Not everyone votes to let DraftKings in
While 10 communities voted in town elections to permit physical operation of retail sports books, voters in Milford, Swanzey, Littleton, Lincoln, and Woodstock opted not to allow one. Of those five communities, Milford had the largest population at 15,115, according to 2010 U.S. census figures.
Among the 10 communities that approved a retail sportsbook, Derry (33,109) ranks fourth in state population, Salem (28,776) is seventh, and Hudson (24,467) is 10th. The combined population of the 10 communities to approve a retail sportsbook is slightly less than 150,000, which is also more than 10 percent of New Hampshire’s population of 1.3 million, per 2010 U.S. Census figures.
New Hampshire’s second- and third-largest cities — Nashua and state capital Concord — voted against the measure in November.
According to the New Hampshire Lottery, $46.3 million in wagers have been placed on more than 1.8 million since going live Dec. 30, and there are 41,053 registered users.
