New Hampshire’s Senate narrowly advanced SB 104 by a 13-11 vote, moving a proposal to legalize and regulate online casino games to the Senate Finance Committee. The bill is not law, and its close passage leaves its prospects uncertain.
Action Network reported that the Senate vote took place on Monday, September 28. The next committee review will test whether the proposal can maintain enough support to proceed through the Legislature.
What SB 104 would allow
SB 104 would put online casino gaming under state oversight and permit digital versions of games including blackjack, poker, roulette, baccarat and craps. The proposal includes age and identity checks, geolocation technology, wagering limits and voluntary self-exclusion options.
Its funding plan is a central part of the case made by supporters. About 35% of net profits would go to scholarships for students in the Community College System of New Hampshire, while roughly 10% would be allocated to the New Hampshire Lottery for administrative costs.
Lottery projections cited in Action Network’s report estimate online casino gaming could generate about $5 million in its first year, $20 million in its second and $30 million by its third. Senate President Jeb Bradley and Senate Ways and Means Chairman Tim Lang are among the proposal’s supporters, who argue the market could provide public revenue and a legal alternative to unregulated gambling websites. Other states’ approaches to regulated online gambling, including Alberta’s online gambling market, offer a point of comparison for operator participation and player protections.
Charitable gaming remains a point of conflict
The bill follows earlier efforts that failed to secure final approval. A previous SB 104 advanced through the Senate in 2023 but stalled in the House Ways and Means Committee, which unanimously recommended killing it. Lawmakers considered SB 168 in 2025, but that proposal was tabled rather than enacted.
The recurring question is whether New Hampshire can add online gambling revenue without weakening its charitable casino sector. The state has roughly 16 charitable casino facilities, where gaming supports nonprofit organizations. Opponents fear online platforms could draw away customers and revenue, leaving less money for those groups.
Sen. Bill Gannon raised that concern in comments to the Union Leader, warning that online gambling could reduce funds available to charities. Churchill Downs, owner of Chasers Poker Room and Casino in Salem, has also emerged as a public opponent, represented on the issue by lobbyist and former Senate President Peter Bragdon. The tension resembles debates elsewhere over how a new gambling product might alter an established market, including state-level proposals such as online casino legalization in Ohio.
Finance Committee is the next test
New Hampshire already permits online and retail sports betting through an exclusive DraftKings arrangement with the New Hampshire Lottery. It also offers online lottery products and authorized charitable gaming, including poker and table games. Online casino gaming, however, is not currently legal.
Casino games can be played continuously, unlike sports betting, which is tied to sporting events. That distinction raises additional questions about responsible-gambling protections and the effects on physical venues. Rhode Island’s Senate consideration of changes to sports-betting competition is another example of state lawmakers weighing changes to an existing wagering structure.
The Senate Finance Committee is expected to examine revenue forecasts, regulatory costs, scholarship funding, safeguards and the impact on charitable casinos. Even if the committee advances SB 104, the bill would still need further Senate consideration, approval from the New Hampshire House and likely the governor’s signature.
The 13-11 result gives the proposal a foothold, not a wide margin for error. The Finance Committee’s decision will be the next major indication of whether this attempt can move beyond the Senate and reach a broader legislative test.
The post SB 104 Faces New Hampshire Finance Committee Test appeared first on ReadWrite.
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