New Hampshire is diligently working on molding its sports gambling market and it appears that more than a handful of players want in on the action in the third-smallest state in the U.S. The New Hampshire Lottery, which is going to help oversee the industry, reports that 13 companies have already submitted responses to a request for proposal (RFP) by the entity. Those responses provide insight into how the operators would like to run at least one of the three sports gambling channels in the state.
New Hampshire legalized sports gambling in July 2019, opening the doors for both brick and mortar and virtual sportsbooks. The proposals that have been received by the New Hampshire Lottery look to offer sports gambling through either a physical location, an online portal or through both options. The regulator didn’t mention any of the applicants by name.
Now that submissions have been made, the applicants will have to give an oral presentation and sit down for interviews with regulators. Provided there are no major setbacks this week, the interviews are expected to begin next week or the following week, at the latest. New Hampshire Lottery Executive Director Charlie McIntyre explains:
“We are pleased and encouraged at both the robust number of responses and the overall quality of proposals. As the critical next step in the process, we look forward to reviewing each response carefully and thoroughly to ensure we can ultimately make the right decisions in launching a sports betting system that engages and protects players, while also driving crucial revenue for education in the Granite State.”
This initial RFP only covers the basics – who might want to set up shop, where and how. It doesn’t include any information related to the financial investment they’re willing to make and, if the list of prospects is narrowed by regulators, the final choices could be asked to prepare financial proposals to be submitted by October 10. This would bring the state even closer to realizing its goal of launching sports gambling sometime in 2020.
Delaware and Rhode Island are the only two states that are smaller than New Hampshire. Both have already introduced legalized sports gambling and both rely heavily on neighboring states for the activity. New Hampshire would most likely look at a similar reaction, with gamblers coming from Massachusetts to place their bets. That state has yet to introduce sports gambling legislation, but there exists the possibility that it could find approval sometime next year.
