Bill raising legal age to bet on sports in NH to 21 deemed 'inexpedient to legislate'
Jan. 29—A House committee is recommending lawmakers not support a bill that would have raised the legal age to bet on sports in New Hampshire from 18 to 21 — a move likely to cost the state hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue if approved.
HB 83 was declared "inexpedient to legislate" in an 11-7 vote Monday by the House Ways and Means Committee. The bill now goes to the full House with that negative recommendation, and could come up when the House holds its first business session on Feb. 6.
A bill is considered killed when the full House or Senate votes to accept a committee report of "inexpedient to legislate."
HB 83 was sponsored by members of both houses, including Rep. Sallie Fellows, D-Holderness; Rep. Michael Cahill, D-Newmarket; Sen. Ruth Ward, R-Stoddard; and Sen. Suzanne Prentiss, D-Lebanon.
In testimony submitted online in support of HB 83, Fellows — the bill's prime sponsor — said 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds wagered more than $14 million on sports in fiscal year 2024.
"We all know that 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds, particularly males in their teens, are far more likely than mature adults to engage in risky and dangerous behaviors such as smoking, reckless driving, binge drinking and gambling, because their cognitive ability to evaluate the consequences of their actions have not completely developed," Fellows wrote. "We also know about the addictive qualities of cellphone apps, the damage they can have on the mental health of teens and young adults, and how those apps suck up time that could be spent in healthy activities."
New Hampshire has allowed sports betting since January 2020. As of September, 40 states allow sports betting and 32 allow online betting. The minimum age to bet is 21 in all but seven states (New Hampshire, Kentucky, Montana, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia, in-person only in Oklahoma and Washington).
New Hampshire allows sports betting online and at four casinos — in Nashua, Manchester, Seabrook and Dover.
Fellows wrote that most sports betting — 88% in fiscal year 2024 — takes place on cellphones, where bets can be made on events happening around the world.
"This easy, 24/7 access paired with fastpaced betting opportunities, has an addiction rate higher than any other form of gambling," Fellows wrote. "By raising the minimum age for sports betting to 21 we will give high school students and recent grads three more years to mature, so they will be better able to budget their bets and avoid financial disaster and emotional distress.
"The purpose of this bill is to reduce the number of gamblers that will become addicted."
Frances Taylor of Holderness submitted online testimony in favor of the bill, saying she opposes state-supported gambling "in particular, permitted gambling under the age of 21."
"Too many young people are getting addicted to this unhealthy activity," Taylor wrote. "I encourage the committee to vote yes on this bill."
Rep. Fred Doucette, a Salem Republican, opposed the bill, citing fiscal concerns.
A fiscal report attached to the bill stated that New Hampshire took in more than $33.6 million in sports betting revenues in fiscal year 2024, with sports bettors under the age of 21 accounting for approximately 1.9% of gross gaming revenue in New Hampshire — or $639,443 total every year.
Upping the legal age to bet on sports from 18 to 21 would reduce sports betting revenues in the Granite State by $320,000 in fiscal year 2026, and $640,000 each fiscal year after that.
"We're having a revenue issue as it stands. I can see revenues going down with this piece of legislation as written," Doucette said.
pfeely@unionleader.com
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