BetMGM New Hampshire: No App, Because the State Picked One Winner

BetMGM New Hampshire is not a pending launch or a gray-area workaround — sports betting has been legal in the state since 2019, but the Lottery ran a single competitive bid and awarded the whole market to DraftKings. BetMGM, the MGM Resorts/Entain joint venture, has no license, no app, and no retail counter here, and nothing in that story has anything to do with BetMGM's own standing as an operator.

Legal status in New Hampshire

New Hampshire legalized sports wagering under House Bill 480 (RSA 287-I), signed by Governor Chris Sununu in July 2019, which let the state Lottery Commission select and oversee a single sports wagering operator rather than license an open field. The Commission took thirteen bids that fall and awarded the contract to DraftKings in a deal handing the state 51% of mobile gross gaming revenue and 50% of retail — the richest cut of any state in the country — launching mobile play December 30, 2019. BetMGM never held, and does not currently hold, a New Hampshire sports wagering license; it simply was not the bid the Lottery accepted. As of a February 2026 contract-renewal report, DraftKings remains the state's sole operator, with the exclusive deal previously extended through June 30, 2028. BetMGM Casino has nothing to plug into either: Senate Bill 168, the 2025 effort to legalize online casino games tied to existing in-state facilities, cleared committee but was tabled by its own sponsor on the Senate floor on March 6, 2025, and New Hampshire still has no legal iGaming market of any kind.

State gambling authority: New Hampshire Lottery and Gaming Commission — renamed from the New Hampshire Lottery Commission by budget bill HB 2, effective July 1, 2025, with its Division of Sports Wagering running the DraftKings contract under the new name.

BetMGM New Hampshire does not exist as a product, and the reason has nothing to do with BetMGM. Sports betting has been legal in the state since 2019. The Lottery Commission just chose to run it as a single exclusive contract instead of an open market, and the bid it accepted belonged to DraftKings. BetMGM, the joint venture between MGM Resorts International and Entain, was never in the running for a slot that was never reopened.

Is BetMGM Legal in New Hampshire?

Not as a license BetMGM holds. House Bill 480, codified as RSA 287-I, authorized the New Hampshire Lottery Commission to select and oversee a sports wagering operator in 2019 — a structure built around picking one winner, not approving many applicants. The Commission took thirteen bids that fall and went with DraftKings, which offered the state 51% of mobile gross gaming revenue and 50% of retail, launching December 30, 2019. BetMGM did not win that bid, and the Lottery has never run a second one.

The contract keeps renewing, not opening: a February 2026 trade report described DraftKings continuing as New Hampshire’s sole sports betting operator, extending an exclusivity previously set to run through June 30, 2028. Every renewal is a decision to keep the market closed rather than let BetMGM or anyone else bid for a piece of it.

The Retail Door BetMGM Uses Elsewhere, Closed Here

BetMGM’s own footprint includes a workaround in states that have not fully opened mobile betting: in Oregon and Washington, bettors reach BetMGM through a partner casino’s retail counter, physically present, tethered to that property. New Hampshire does not offer anything like that side door. Its statute handed the Lottery Commission the authority to pick one exclusive operator for mobile and retail alike, so there is no BetMGM-branded counter sitting inside a New Hampshire charitable gaming facility waiting for a license. Every retail sportsbook in the state runs through the same DraftKings contract as the app.

Is BetMGM Legit, Just Not Here?

Yes. BetMGM is a 50/50 joint venture between MGM Resorts International, a Nasdaq-listed casino operator, and Entain, listed in London. It is licensed and operating in 23 states plus Washington D.C. and posted roughly $2.8 billion in net revenue in 2025. None of that reaches New Hampshire, not because regulators rejected BetMGM, but because the state never opened a process for BetMGM to enter.

Is BetMGM Safe to Consider in New Hampshire?

There is no BetMGM account to secure, so the question shifts to what happens if someone tries an unauthorized site instead. RSA 287-I:10 makes wagering with an operator the state has not licensed a misdemeanor for the bettor — up to 12 months and a $2,000 fine on paper — though enforcement has historically pointed at unlicensed operators, not individual players. New Hampshire’s Attorney General signed onto a 50-state letter in August 2025 urging the Department of Justice to act against illegal offshore sportsbooks, a sign the state treats the operator side as the real target.

New name, same office: the regulator overseeing the DraftKings contract is now the New Hampshire Lottery and Gaming Commission, renamed from the New Hampshire Lottery Commission by budget bill HB 2, effective July 1, 2025. Older guides referencing the “Lottery Commission” are not wrong, just outdated by one name change.

No Online Casino Either

Even if BetMGM somehow landed a New Hampshire sportsbook license tomorrow, there would be nowhere for BetMGM Casino to go. Senate Bill 168, the 2025 push to legalize a handful of online casino platforms tied to existing in-state gaming facilities, cleared committee on a 3-2 vote before its own sponsor tabled it on the Senate floor on March 6, 2025. New Hampshire has no legal iGaming market, full stop, so the four-state casino footprint BetMGM runs elsewhere has no equivalent to reach for here.

Who It Fits

No one in New Hampshire today. BetMGM is a legitimate, regulated operator everywhere it actually holds a license, and this state simply is not one of those places — not from a rejection, but from a contract the Lottery and Gaming Commission has kept closed since 2019. New Hampshire sets its sports betting age at 18, lower than the 21 most BetMGM states use, so whoever is actually placing bets here through DraftKings should treat it as entertainment spending regardless. If it stops feeling that way, 1-800-GAMBLER is free and confidential.

BetMGM New Hampshire — Frequently Asked Questions

Is BetMGM legal in New Hampshire?

Not as a sportsbook you can open an account with. Sports betting itself is legal in New Hampshire under RSA 287-I, but the Lottery Commission contracted with exactly one operator, DraftKings, rather than licensing a market. BetMGM submitted no winning bid and holds no New Hampshire license today.

Is BetMGM safe to use in New Hampshire?

There is no BetMGM account to open here, so the usual safety checklist does not apply. What is worth knowing: RSA 287-I:10 makes placing a wager with an operator the state has not authorized a misdemeanor for the bettor, punishable by up to 12 months and a $2,000 fine, even though enforcement in practice targets unlicensed operators rather than individual players — New Hampshire's Attorney General joined a 50-state letter in August 2025 pushing the DOJ on illegal offshore sportsbooks.

Is BetMGM legit, even with nothing operating in New Hampshire?

Yes, as a company. BetMGM is a 50/50 joint venture between MGM Resorts International and Entain, licensed and live in 23 states plus Washington D.C., and posted roughly $2.8 billion in net revenue in 2025. New Hampshire simply never ran a process BetMGM could have entered — the Lottery closed the field after its one 2019 bid.

Does BetMGM have a retail option in New Hampshire the way it does in Oregon or Washington?

No, and the comparison actually highlights how different New Hampshire's law is. In Oregon and Washington, BetMGM reaches bettors through a partner casino's retail counter under a tethered model. New Hampshire's statute does not offer that side door at all — it gave the Lottery Commission the power to pick one exclusive operator outright, and every retail sportsbook counter in the state, not just the mobile app, belongs to that same DraftKings contract.

Could BetMGM Casino operate online in New Hampshire?

Not currently. New Hampshire has never legalized online casino games. Senate Bill 168 would have authorized a handful of iGaming platforms tied to existing in-state gaming facilities, but its own sponsor tabled it on the Senate floor on March 6, 2025, after the bill had already cleared committee. There is nothing for a BetMGM Casino product to join even in principle.

Could BetMGM ever get a New Hampshire sportsbook license?

Only if the Lottery and Gaming Commission decides to open a second contract. RSA 287-I permits up to five mobile operators by statute, so no new law is required, but the Commission has never used that room since 2019. A February 2026 report indicated DraftKings' exclusivity was being renewed rather than opened up, so that is not imminent.

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