DraftKings was the big winner in New Hampshire, as the Lottery announced this morning the “scoring summary” from its sports betting Request for Proposal. DraftKings, which is partnering with Crown Gaming, Inc. in New Hampshire, got the top score for both the mobile and retail channels and, according to the scoring summary, was “selected for award” of a contract for both retail and mobile sports betting.
“DraftKings is proud to be selected to offer mobile and retail sports betting in New Hampshire,” DraftKings said in a statement on Tuesday. “We look forward to soon providing sports fans in the Granite State with our best-in-class mobile and online Sportsbook product, and welcoming them into our dynamic retail sportsbooks. DraftKings will continue to collaborate closely with the New Hampshire Lottery Commission towards our mutual goal of bringing fun, safe and responsible sports betting to New Hampshire.”
Kambi finished second in scoring in the mobile category, while ROAR finished second in the retail channel and third on the mobile channel. ROAR is a partnership between MGM Resorts International and GVC Holdings.
Intralot selected for NH Lottery product
Intralot will run the state’s lottery channel. According to the scoring summary, only the companies who provided “the highest percent of revenue to the state pursuant to RSA 287-I:3” were “selected for awards.” As a technical matter, even if the Lottery enters into negotiations and settles on a contract with any of the potential operators, the contract must be approved by Governor Chris Sununu and the state’s Executive Council.
Kambi and ROAR appear to still be in the running for contracts in New Hampshire, but will likely need to provide more information before a determination is made.
DraftKings scored 810 points out of 1,000 in the mobile category, followed by 775 for Kambi and 765 for ROAR. In the retail category, DraftKings scored 790 followed by ROAR (755) and IGT/William Hill (705). There were a total of 11 proposals for the mobile category and six for the retail channel. For the lottery channel, current vendor Intralot scored 680 points and the next best showing was 540 from DraftKings.
Breakdown of scoring system
When New Hampshire issued the RFP in August, it broke down how potential partners would be scored:
- Describe history, business structure, experience, and capabilities (125 points);
- Outline integrity (100 points)
- Explain how they would design and implement a mobile, retail, or lottery-based sports betting platform (150 points);
- Describe how they’ll participate in economic development (100 points);
- Describe hardware and software solutions (175 points);
- Explain all sports betting related services (175 points);
- Detail compliance plans (75 points);
- Detail responsible gaming plans (75 points); and
- Explain accounting and auditing systems (25 points).
The Lottery could have selected up to 10 operators for physical locations and five for mobile. But all along, Lottery chief Charlie McIntyre has said he’d only select the operators that were the best fit for his state.
As the Lottery begins work on securing contracts, cities and towns around New Hampshire are also pursuing sports betting. According to the new law, any jurisdiction that wants to host a sportsbook must get voter approval. About 10 cities or towns across the state will put the question to voters next week, and the City of Franklin, which has an early election, has already voted in favor of sports betting.
The New Hampshire Lottery is aiming to go live with sports betting in early 2020.
