New Hampshire and Colorado Voters Advance Sports Betting

Five cities in New Hampshire approved the inclusion of sports betting to their communities on election day. The cities of Berlin, Claremont, Laconia, Manchester, and Somersworth gave the state’s Lottery permission to put sportsbooks in their towns.

The five cities join the town of Franklin, who’s voters approved sports betting on October 1st, as the first communities to allow sports wagering in New Hampshire when physical locations open in late winter or early spring of 2020.

The New Hampshire Lottery is actively working to bring online betting to the state by January but bettors will have to open an account through a physical location first before they can start betting on games.

“The New Hampshire Lottery appreciates and respects the voting process in New Hampshire. With five cities voting to allow sportsbook retail locations, we can continue with the sports betting implementation process, developing a responsible system that engages players and drives revenue for education in New Hampshire,” said Charlie McIntyre, the agency’s executive director.

Source unionleader.com

Last week, the Lottery agreed with sports betting companies DraftKings and Intralot to provide and operate sports betting services to customers on the launch date. DraftKings will run the physical sportsbook locations and online services, while Intralot will support the kiosks and vending machines at retail outlets.

As many as ten sportsbooks will be available throughout the state, with the six cities that have already approved the sports betting measure to be the first in line. Four other cities in New Hampshire declined to bring sports betting to their communities on Tuesday, opening up four spots for other cities to adopt the measure.

New Hampshire was not the only state voting on sports betting on election day as Colorado voters narrowly approved a measure that will bring wagering to their state in six months. Proposition DD was too close to call on election night as the state tabulated more than 1.4 million votes on the measure.

But on Wednesday afternoon, Colorado’s Secretary of State’s Office declared that the bill had passed with a narrow 50.8% of the total vote. The legislation stipulates that the 17 casinos in the state will be able to apply for a license to offer either physical or online sportsbooks to residents and visitors.

Casinos that are approved will be entitled to pay 10% of net revenue to the state in the form of a tax. The money will go to a fund that keeps Colorado water safe for consumption. The state expects to bring in over $29 million in tax revenue over the first year of sports betting.

“Taxing the revenue from legalized sports betting will create a dedicated down payment to help ensure that Colorado has healthy rivers and enough water for all,” Water Resource Advocates wrote in a statement Wednesday. “Still, it’s important to remember that this is just the first step toward addressing the growing gap between the water we have and the water we need.”

Source denverpost.com

The legislation had bipartisan support in the Colorado legislature with state Senators like Kerry Donovan calling the measure a long-term investment into preserving the water of Colorado.

“With the growth of the Front Range, and climate change shifting us to a more arid future, today marks an important step for the future of agriculture and the quality of life for all of us who call Colorado home,” the Democrat said.

Colorado becomes the 19th state to legalize sports betting in America.