New Hampshire Gambling Laws In 2026

New Hampshire permits casino-style games when they are conducted under the charitable gaming system established by RSA Chapter 287-D. Eligible religious, charitable, civic, veterans’, fraternal, and similar organizations can participate after meeting registration, tax status, and operational requirements.

Authorized facilities may offer games commonly associated with casinos, including:

• Blackjack
• Roulette
• Poker
• Baccarat
• Craps
• Money wheels
• Sic bo
• Chuck-a-luck
• Other commission-approved card and table games

These locations are often described as charitable casinos or gaming halls. They can resemble smaller commercial casinos, but their legal structure is different. Participating nonprofit organizations receive a prescribed share of gaming revenue, and facilities, operators, employees, and equipment are subject to state oversight.

A municipality may vote to allow or prohibit games of chance within its boundaries. Local approval therefore plays an important role in determining where charitable gaming establishments may operate.

Poker is legal at properly licensed charitable gaming venues. Both cash-style play and tournament formats may be offered when approved by the Lottery & Gaming Commission.

The state also recognizes high-stakes tournaments as a separate category. These events are subject to additional rules, reporting requirements, and state-revenue provisions.

Private poker is more complicated. Merely calling a game “social” does not automatically place it outside the gambling statutes. A host who takes a rake, charges admission, profits from the game, or operates an ongoing poker business could violate RSA Chapter 647.

New Hampshire enacted RSA Chapter 287-J in 2025 to authorize video lottery terminals at eligible charitable gaming facilities. A VLT is an electronic device that accepts money or wagering credits and awards cash, vouchers, or redeemable electronic credits based on random outcomes.

The terminals may use spinning reels, video displays, or both. However, the statutory definition specifically excludes devices played through or with the assistance of the internet. VLT authorization therefore applies to machines located at approved physical facilities and does not legalize online slots.

Before a terminal may be placed into service, it must be independently tested and approved by the commission. Operators are also subject to suitability reviews, financial checks, internal controls, reporting standards and enforcement procedures.

Historic horse racing allows customers to wager on previously completed races without initially being shown enough identifying information to know the result. The outcome is based on an actual race rather than a computer-generated random-number result.

HHR devices have operated at qualifying charitable gaming facilities under the racing and gaming laws. The visual experience can resemble that of an electronic casino machine, but wagers are structured through pari-mutuel pools linked to archived races.

The adoption of video lottery terminals has changed the electronic gaming landscape, although HHR is still addressed in current commission rules and regulatory materials.

Both mobile and retail sports betting are legal. RSA Chapter 287-I authorizes the Lottery & Gaming Commission to operate sports wagering directly or through contracted agents selected through a competitive process.

An eligible bettor must:

• Be at least 18
• Be physically located inside New Hampshire
• Complete the required age and identity checks
• Avoid any prohibited-bettor category
• Place wagers only on approved events and markets

The mobile platform must use geolocation technology to block bets originating outside state lines. State law also requires systems for age verification, identity confirmation, responsible gambling, and account security.

Retail sportsbook locations may operate only in cities and towns that approve them through the local-option process. This means mobile wagering can be available statewide while physical sportsbook locations remain limited to participating municipalities.

New Hampshire operates one of the oldest modern state lotteries in the country. Available products include scratch tickets, draw games, multistate jackpots, Fast Play-style products, and other commission-approved offerings.

The state also participates in multistate arrangements under the Tri-State Lotto Compact. Lottery revenue is directed toward public education after prizes and operating costs are accounted for.

Keno is available through approved bars, restaurants and other participating establishments. Although drawings and account-related features may use digital technology, this should not be confused with authorization for statewide online casino play.

Licensed charitable organizations may conduct bingo under RSA Chapter 287-E. A standard license identifies the dates, times, and location of each authorized session, and games may be held only in municipalities that have adopted the relevant provisions.

Regular bingo participants must be at least 18. Minors may enter certain carnival or agricultural-fair bingo areas when accompanied by a parent or guardian, but they may not play. The law also contains separate provisions for senior-citizen bingo, children’s bingo at qualifying campgrounds or hotels, and other narrowly defined formats.

Lucky 7 tickets are a form of charitable instant-ticket gaming. They may be sold only at authorized locations, such as:

• A licensed bingo event
• A charitable gaming establishment
• A municipality that has approved Lucky 7 sales
• Another location specifically permitted by statute

Organizations, manufacturers, distributors and equipment providers must comply with licensing, recordkeeping and reporting rules. Lucky 7 sales do not create general authorization for private businesses to sell unapproved pull tabs or instant-win tickets.

Eligible organizations may conduct raffles when the activity satisfies RSA Chapter 287-A and any applicable municipal requirements. New Hampshire also recognizes certain specialized contests, including qualifying 50/50 raffles and ice-out contests.

Raffles differ from licensed casino gaming because many are regulated at the local level. The state’s 2026 gambling guidance identifies raffles as the main exception to the rule that most authorized gambling is administered by the Lottery & Gaming Commission.

An organization should not assume that nonprofit status alone makes a drawing legal. Eligibility, ticket sales, prize structure, municipal approval and use of proceeds may all affect compliance.

Paid fantasy sports contests are legal under RSA Chapter 287-H. Operators must register with the state and comply with consumer-protection requirements governing player funds, contest disclosures, prohibited participants and truthful advertising.

Fantasy contests are treated separately from traditional sports bets. A legal fantasy operator cannot use its registration to offer moneylines, point spreads or other sportsbook markets without authorization under the sports-wagering law.

New Hampshire law permits several forms of pari-mutuel wagering connected to horse racing:

• Live race wagering
• Simulcast betting
• Account wagering
• Advance-deposit wagering
• Pari-mutuel pools involving approved out-of-state races
• Historic horse-racing products at qualifying facilities

These activities are primarily governed by RSA Chapter 284 and the commission’s racing and account-wagering rules. A licensed online racebook may therefore be legal even though general internet casino gambling remains unauthorized.