New Hampshire Chooses DraftKings and Intralot to Run Sports Betting

Two sports betting powerhouses won the right to offer sports betting in New Hampshire as the state’s Lottery Commission announced that DraftKings and Intralot’s proposals were accepted first from more than a dozen companies.

The companies will next finalize their contracts with the Lottery Commission by Thanksgiving with the hope that the Executive Council approves the agreements with an estimated betting start date of early January of 2020.

DraftKings and Intralot become the first companies to be awarded contracts in New Hampshire, an achievement considering the state’s law will only allow a maximum of 10 physical sportsbook locations and five online sportsbooks to operate at one time.

Both operators will be regulated by the Division of Sports Wagering, an oversight committee that was created with Governor Chris Sununu’s signature on the bill that legalized sports betting in the state in July of this year.

Betting in New Hampshire will fall under three categories at launch. The first type of bet is a pre-game wager on a single game, the next is the popular in-game betting, and finally, bettors will be able to wager on proposition bets.

Operators working under a mobile betting license in the state will offer all three types of bets, whereas physical sportsbooks cannot offer in-game betting to customers.

DraftKings is expected to run both an online and in-person sportsbook, while Intralot will provide the infrastructure and IT systems to accept bets when the windows open at the beginning of 2020.

The announcement of the agreement and the early launch date was welcome news to Gov. John Sununu.

“The playoffs start in January. I’m assuming the Patriots are going to the Super Bowl because I’m a diehard fan, but regardless of that, I really want to be betting on Tom Brady before the season’s done,” Sununu said in a statement.

Source: unionleader.com

After the thirteen companies submitted proposals to the Lottery Commission, members scored each proposal based on the service the company could provide. DraftKings scored the highest out of the companies offering online and in-person betting. Intralot scored the highest among companies that offer a lottery channel product.

“Sports betting represents a major next step in the New Hampshire Lottery’s evolution, and given its significance, we are pleased with the overall quality of the proposals we received,” said Maura McCann, the lottery’s marketing director.

“We look forward to continuing the (contract) process and to ultimately implementing a sports-betting system that supports continued revenue growth, while also incorporating all necessary safeguards and protections for our players and retailers.”

Source: unionleader.com

DraftKings sealed the deal by offering the state a staggering 40% of gross revenue for up to ten sportsbook locations. Intralot followed suit by offering a generous 19.25% of their grosses from lottery terminals.

“DraftKings is proud to be selected to offer mobile and retail sports betting in New Hampshire. We look forward to soon providing sports fans in the Granite State with our best-in-class mobile and online Sportsbook product, and welcoming them into our dynamic retail sportsbooks,” a spokesman for DraftKings said.

Source: unionleader.com

Companies that submitted proposals that were rejected include sportsbook operator William Hill, the MGM Resorts Casino, and the popular Foxwoods Casino.