New Hampshire has officially joined the ranks of states that saw sports-betting handle and revenue skid last month.
The New Hampshire Lottery recently reported that the total sports-betting handle in the state was $46.7 million for April, down from $55.8 million in March. Mobile bets accounted for $37.4 million of the handle last month, while retail wagers accounted for nearly $9.3 million.
Gross gaming revenue, or total bets minus winnings and 15 percent of promotional costs, was $3.3 million for April, slipping from $4.2 million in March.
An April slide has been a recurring theme for legalized sports gambling states, as bettors opted to wager less last month than they did during March Madness. For instance, Indiana, which launched its legal industry not too long before New Hampshire did, reported a total sports-wagering handle of $236.4 million in April, or approximately 25 percent less than March's $316.7 million.
New Hampshire was no exception to the April decline, either. Notably, the state lottery said earlier in May that the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament had been "the biggest sports betting driver overall," producing $15.1 million in wagers.
While the numbers may have fallen in April, the Granite State is still feeling pretty good about its experiment in sports betting. New Hampshire became the 14th state in the United States to offer legal sports wagering when Governor Chris Sununu placed its ceremonial first wager near the end of 2019.
A DraftKings exclusive
Since then, more than $500 million in sports wagers have been placed and more than 52,000 players have registered in the state, which has an exclusive partnership with Boston-based DraftKings Inc. for its betting model. There are two retail sportsbooks in the state as well.
“I’m proud that the system we have designed has enabled the Granite State to become the premier destination for sports betting in New England,” Gov. Sununu said in a press release earlier this month.
The contract with DraftKings grants New Hampshire approximately 50 percent of the sports-betting revenue generated. The state's revenue share for April 2021 was almost $1.5 million, down from $1.9 million in March.
“We knew immediately sports betting would be an incredible driver for the New Hampshire Lottery and we are proud to reach this milestone in such a short period of time—despite the sports world essentially shutting down last year,” said Charlie McIntyre, executive director of the New Hampshire Lottery, in the press release earlier this month. “Our sports betting sales figures speak for themselves and it goes to show just how perfect a fit sports betting is for our market. We are extremely well-positioned to continue maximizing sports betting as a major revenue generator for New Hampshire schools for years and years to come.”
