New Hampshire Race Wagering

In 1933, the state of New Hampshire legalized pari-mutuel betting on horse racing, and in 1971, greyhound racing was legalized. Simulcasting was introduced at horse tracks in 1991 and a year later at greyhound tracks. Sports betting is not legal in New Hampshire.

Summer 2005 marked the beginning of a decline for New Hampshire's greyhound racing industry. The growth of casinos and the proliferation of video poker and slot machines in nearby states such as Connecticut and Massachusetts are among the reasons live racing has been on the decline.

Following the last legislative session in 2009, the state of New Hampshire removed all funding for the regulation of live racing from the New Hampshire Racing and Charitable Gaming Commission. Therefore, in 2010, without regulatory functions such as drug testing, veterinarians, inspectors and auditors, racetracks could not schedule any live racing events and relied instead on simulcasting and other forms of gaming and entertainment to generate revenue.

In 2009, the legislators mandated an onerous 10% tax on racetrack bettor winnings. This tax resulted in a significant drop in handle that public records showed to have been in the tens of millions of dollars. To the relief of the horse racing industry, Governor John Lynch signed HB 229, repealing the law, in May 2011.

In 2012, a law passed that changed the requirements to offer simulcast wagering. Before the passage of the law, simulcast wagers could only be accepted by businesses that had, or have had, live racing. Under the new law, businesses could offer simulcast wagering for up to 36 months before the launch of live racing.

In March 2015, a new offtrack betting parlor opened in Hinsdale and will have to offer live racing by March 2018, or the license to offer simulcast wagering will be revoked.

In November 2018, the Hinsdale Off-Track Betting facility closed.