New Hampshire’s Senate has advanced a proposal to create a regulated online casino market, approving 2026 Senate Bill 104 by 13 votes to 11 and sending it to the Senate Finance Committee. The measure would still need to clear further legislative steps before online casinos could be authorized in the state.
The bill would permit licensed operators to offer blackjack, poker, roulette, baccarat and craps. It would require age and identity verification, geolocation controls and responsible-gambling measures, according to BettingNews.
The narrow two-vote margin makes the Finance Committee review a significant test for the proposal. New Hampshire did not have a regulated real-money online casino market when the bill advanced, although it already had an online sports-betting framework.
Supporters have promoted iGaming as a potential new source of revenue. Under the proposal, about 35% of net online casino profits would be directed to community college scholarships.
The plan also faces resistance from charitable gaming operators. Critics argue that online casino products could divert customers and revenue from physical charitable gaming venues, an established part of New Hampshire’s gambling sector.
The legislation is a new effort despite sharing the SB 104 number with a 2023 bill sponsored by Sen. Tim Lang. That earlier measure also sought to regulate online gambling and dedicate net proceeds to a community-college scholarship fund. It initially passed the Senate by the same 13-11 margin on Feb. 22, 2023, but the House Ways and Means Committee later recommended it be deemed “Inexpedient to Legislate” in a unanimous 20-0 vote. The House indefinitely postponed it on May 4, 2023.
Lawmakers also considered SB 168 in 2025, which proposed online gaming while addressing its relationship with the charitable gaming sector. That bill did not become law.
