New Hampshire Lotteries

The Sweepstakes Bill was first proposed in 1953 and finally passed after four more attempts. In April 1963, Governor John King signed the bill, and the first three-member Sweepstakes Commission was established in August. It wasn't until March 1964 that the first sweepstakes tickets were available for purchase. The Sweepstakes Commission has since been renamed the Lottery Commission and oversees the operation of the Lottery. Games currently offered by the lottery include instant games, Powerball, Mega Millions, Hot Lotto, Megabucks Plus, Pick 3, Pick 4, Lucky for Life and Gimme 5.

The Lottery gives back over 60% in prizes, and approximately 30% supports the state's education. Since 1964, the Lottery has transferred more than $1.7 billion to the New Hampshire education fund, and more than 1,250 retailers in New Hampshire sell lottery tickets.

In May 2005, the House of Representatives voted to allow players to double their bets on scratch tickets.

Starting in June 2006, NH Lottery Replay allowed players to "replay" their non-winning New Hampshire lottery tickets online. Once signed up, players accumulate replay points for each ticket entered. In general, points are earned in increments equal to five times the dollar value for a non-winning ticket.

In March 2008, the New Hampshire State Lottery Commission announced that if the state wanted to reach its revenue targets, gambling must be expanded.

In May 2009, Intralot Inc. was selected to run New Hampshire's online and instant games. Approximately 1,250 terminals were converted by 1 July 2010. Lottery subscriptions are now available for purchase online as well.

In July 2017, the New Hampshire Legislature authorized online lottery sales.