New Hampshire’s New Casino Industry Goes Into Effect With Slot-Like VLTs
Beginning Tuesday, July 1, 2025, the 14 casinos in New Hampshire are allowed to replace their traditional horse racing machines with slot-like video lottery terminals (VLTs).
Approved via the state's recently enacted two-year budget of $15.9 billion, signed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) last week, casinos that mainly support charitable initiatives and nonprofit groups can now accommodate an unlimited quantity of VLTs. In another instance of gaming growth in the Granite State, the Republican-controlled General Court approved the removal of limits on the number of gaming positions at each casino and permitted the gaming establishments to install slot-like terminals to enhance the state's tax revenue and offset the $8 million increase in expenditures approved in the budget.
The majority, if not all, of the 14 casinos are anticipated to invest in installing VLT games on their premises. VLTs finish a spin roughly five seconds quicker than an HHR terminal, which features parimutuel-based games that determine odds and payouts using past horse races.
VLTs also provide a wider selection of titles and brands available in casinos in Las Vegas and various prominent gaming locations. New Hampshire's VLT law mandates that casinos set their machines to ensure a "minimum average daily total payback of 80 percent." That aligns with nearby Massachusetts and is 5% above Nevada's figure.
VLTs Expected to Advantage State, Charities
New Hampshire is progressing in liberalizing its charitable casino sector.
In June 2023, the former governor. Chris Sununu (R) enacted a law permitting the maximum bets on table games to rise from $10 to $50. Currently, with VLTs and no cap on the number of machines a casino can operate, both the state and the charities supported by the properties are poised to experience significantly increased revenue.
Every casino must support two licensed charities and/or nonprofits each day it operates. The charitable advantage stays the same, with 35% of VLT and table game earnings designated for the nonprofits. The state's share, however, has risen from 25% to 31%. In return for the VLT privileges, the casinos' share has decreased from 40% to 31.25%.
Once 0.25% of the gaming revenue goes to the Governor’s Commission on Addiction, Treatment, and Prevention, the leftover 2.5% will be allocated to the New Hampshire Gaming Commission for its regulatory expenses.
In addition to VLTs, the 2025-26 budget permits casinos to organize high-stakes poker and various table game tournaments. High-stakes are described as table game tournaments with buy-ins exceeding $2,500. In high-stakes competitions, 5% of the casino profits are allocated to the state.
State projections forecast that the updated gaming regulations will produce $70 million annually in additional charitable gaming funds.
Gaming Growth
Just a few years back, New Hampshire's gaming market was quite restricted.
While charitable gaming has origins in 1977, New Hampshire approved retail and online sports betting in 2019, granting the sole license to DraftKings. The charitable casinos acquired rights to historical horse racing machines in 2021, which are also referred to as instant racing games.
The New Hampshire Lottery, first called the New Hampshire Sweepstakes when it began in 1964, is the oldest in the country. In 2018, the NH Lottery received approval to conduct online lottery games.
