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New Hampshire Sen. Tim Lang expects the state’s Senate to approve his proposal concerning legal online casinos in the state next week. Beyond that point, however, Lang is far less confident about the bill’s fate.
“How it will do in the House is a toss-up,” Sen. Lang told PlayUSA.
His worries about the bill’s fate in the House are based on how things went the last time around.
In 2023, the Senate approved a bill that also would have regulated iGaming, albeit with some differences in the particulars compared to Lang’s current proposal. That year, the end of the road came in the House Ways and Means Committee, whose members decided to shelve the bill.
Still, the differences between the 2023 filing and current legislation provide cause for optimism for iGaming proponents. What’s more, the membership of that House committee has changed, and its former chair, Rep. Laurie Sanborn, is no longer in office.
Lang expects Senate to advance online casino bill
Speaking with PlayUSA, Lang stated that he is “expecting it (SB 168) passing the Senate and it will head over to the House.” SB 168 is currently scheduled for a floor vote in the New Hampshire Senate on Thursday, March 6 after clearing the Senate Ways and Means committee on Feb. 12.
SB 168 would create a regulated structure for iGaming in New Hampshire. Physical charitable casinos in the state could partner with iGaming platforms and split revenues between them.
Lang’s filing assesses a 45% tax on revenue from legal online casino play. It earmarks 35% of those funds for the charities that contract with casinos and the other 65% for the state’s general fund along with two special funds.
While the New Hampshire Lottery would regulate iGaming under Lang’s proposal, it differs from the state’s system for online sports betting. The Lottery has a sole partner for online sports wagering, DraftKings, while SB 168 would require the lottery to issue licenses to at least three iGaming providers.
Like Lang’s first attempt at codifying iGaming in New Hampshire, SB 168 simply extends the types of gaming currently available in chartity casinos in the state to online venues. That change of venue could be the issue that decides the bill’s fate in the House.
Revenue dispersal concerns, cannibalization fears remain
In 2023, the death knell for Lang’s proposal was concerns that iGaming would harm the businesses of land-based casinos in the state and as a result, diminish revenues for charities dependent on that type of gaming. Lang has modified SB 168 to address those concerns.
“The bill is significantly different than the previous term’s bill in that it’s now a tethered to brick and mortar model,” he said, “with revenues being treated the same as if the player was sitting in the charitable gaming facility, thus increasing revenues available to charities, which may change some House members’ votes. Time will tell.”
During the Senate’s Ways and Means committee hearing on SB 168, multiple speakers testified to pervading cannibalization concerns despite the changes made to Lang’s proposal. Such testimony is likely to be present for House committee hearings on SB 168.
If Lang’s expectations hold true on March 6, that testimony will not be sufficient to prevent the bill getting through the New Hampshire Senate. Even Lang does not have a reading on how influential those concerns might prove in the New Hampshire House, though.
