As DraftKings’s contract with the state’s lottery commission is expected to be approved on Monday, the Boston-based sports entertainment company is set to become New Hampshire’s only complete retail and online sportsbook,
On that day, the state’s Executive Council is going to meet in Concord with Gov. Chris Sununu and approve a number of appointments and contracts, including two concerning sports betting which will be managed by the New Hampshire Lottery Commission.
If approved, DraftKings will be permitted to operate up to 10 sportsbooks venues, and offer its online betting application across the state through June 2026. The contracts allow for two two-year extensions too.
Moreover, the Council will determine whether to modify an existing contract with Intralot through June 2025 to run the lottery’s retail and online sports betting operations. The lottery can offer some types of sports betting like parlay-style betting under the terms of the law passed by the state’s legislature earlier this year. But it cannot offer single-game or live in-game betting opportunities.
As mentioned on the Casino.org website, the retail sportsbooks cannot offer in-game betting products, whereas the online application can offer single-game, in-game, and parlay wagering.
The contracts come as an outcome of a solicitation process which started in August.
DraftKings Offers 50-50 Split
Overall, the lottery received proposals from 13 vendors for online, retail, and lottery-run operations. State officials announced in October they were moving ahead with contract negotiations with DraftKings and Intralot, the latter held a state contract already to manage other lottery operations.
Three companies were selected as finalists for online from the 13, and two were chosen for retail. Finalists for both channels were DraftKings and ROAR, a joint venture between MGM Resorts International and GVC Holdings. For online, Kambi was the third finalist.
DraftKings offered 50 percent of its gross gaming revenue to be the only retail and mobile operator in New Hampshire In its bid,. ROAR offered 20 percent to be the exclusive online provider and 11 percent to be the sole retail operator.
Lottery officials said the process allowed for them to find out whether the state would make more from offering an exclusive contract or making multiple awards, in its note to the Executive Council.
Charles McIntyre, the lottery commission’s executive director, wrote to the Council, “DraftKings price proposal as a sole provider of the mobile and retail channel delivered more than three times the percentage of revenue to the State than would be derived from a multiple agent market.”
The state law permitted the lottery to offer up to five mobile applications and a total of 10 retail sportsbooks statewide.
Only Lottery Finalist Is Intralot
For lottery-based sports betting, Intralot beat out DraftKings, Kambi, and Betconstruct. The European company, which will run the DC Lottery’s sports betting operations too, was the only offeror deemed a finalist for that contract, since the Lottery Commission thought the remaining three were not qualified.
McIntyre wrote, “Intralot had the most comprehensive plan on how to make the more restricted product operate in the lottery retailer network. Other proposals were largely based on associating the lottery product with retail and mobile channels, and did not clearly identify a viable lottery-based channel.”
Now Question Becomes When
Supposing the Council approves the contracts, we have to wait and see when DraftKings and Intralot will be ready to launch in New Hampshire.
On Thursday afternoon, a message to DraftKings officials was not immediately returned.
Sununu said he wants to see sports betting operational as early as January for the NFL playoffs in an impromptu interview with Boston sports radio station WEEI last month.
It seems only six retail sportsbooks would have the opportunity to open by then. Earlier this month New Hampshire’s cities voted whether to allow sports betting in their areas, and voters in five approved the referendums. Last month voters in Franklin approved a measure.
Nashua, which lies on the state line with Massachusetts, was one of the communities that chose not to allow sports betting.
When they hold their annual elections in March, smaller towns statewide will get the chance to vote on allowing a retail sportsbook in their communities.
