Retail Sports Betting In Nashua NH May Not Become A Reality

• Nashua, New Hampshire is now home to a DraftKings office where the sports betting company will have a headquarters in the state.
• The city voted against allowing a sportsbook operation in their town but lawmakers would like to put it to a vote again with the earliest being on the November 2021 ballot.

NASHUA, N.H. – DraftKings has opened up a 7,500 square foot office in Nashua, New Hampshire although they likely will be unable to open a retail sportsbook in the city.

The sports betting operator has been in charge of mobile and internet sports betting for the Granite State through a partnership they made with the New Hampshire Lottery.

Residents of the state were able to vote on whether or not they’d like to be considered as one of the 10 locations that would open up retail sports betting locations. Nashua was not one of the cities that voted in favor of opening a sportsbook in their town.

However, a last-minute effort to try and get it to be voted on again in September by adding it to House Bill 1234, which was a smorgasbord of various topics up for legalization failed. The bill was vetoed by Governor Chris Sununu in July.

Is Nashua Officially Out For Consideration?

The next possibility for a vote by the people of Nashua would be through the November 2021 ballot at the earliest. However, by that time, all ten sports betting licenses allotted under state law could be spoken for.

“I have heard about DraftKings willing to look at Nashua to move at least some of its operations, but now we won’t have sports betting to even show them that we like that kind of business,” said Senator Cindy Rosenwald (D-Nashua).

DraftKings does not need to have a sports betting license to be able to run an office in the city.

Currently, it’s not being used as their employees continue to work remotely due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. However, while they may not have a sportsbook in the area, their office could open up more jobs for residents of Nashua.

What’s Next For New Hampshire Sports Betting?

DraftKings remains focused on being one of the best sports betting operators in the country. They continue to expand after becoming a publicly-traded company in April.

They have since combined their business with SBTech Limited and Diamond Eagle Acquisition Corp. to make their operation that much grander in scale for the gaming industry and more specifically online betting for which they offer New Hampshire residents through their NH Lottery partnership.

Five cities in New Hampshire voted for retail sportsbooks to open in their communities. Berlin, Claremont, Laconia, Manchester, and Somersworth are all in favor to take five of the ten available licenses for sports betting venues.

While it’s currently unknown which cities will ultimately take the licenses that are open, Nashua hopes that they will be eligible to vote on it again in 2021 in the hopes that there is still a license to be had by then.

In the time being, sports bettors in the Granite State can wager on sporting events through DraftKings mobile sports betting application. This is the most popular way for gamblers to wager on sports matchups worldwide so having to wait on retail locations is not that bad when betting lines remain open.

The state will still continue to collect revenue from the industry through this route of gambling while waiting on final decisions to be made. Those interested in joining the mobile platform to wager on sports in New Hampshire must be at least 18 years old to participate.

News tags: Berlin | Chris Sununu | Cindy Rosenwald | Claremont | Coronavirus | Diamond Eagle Acquisition Corp. | DraftKings | House Bill 1234 | Laconia | Manchester | Nashua | New Hampshire | New Hampshire Lottery | SBTech Limited | Somersworth