New budget removes $50 bet restriction in casinos

The $50 maximum bet at New Hampshire’s casinos has gone away under the state budget Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed into law on June 27.

Now the sky is the limit.

NH Sen. Tim Lang, a Sanbornton Republican who chairs the Senate’s Ways and Means Committee, said Thursday that this and other changes will benefit state coffers and charities that share in gaming revenue.

Lifting the betting limit also allows New Hampshire casinos to better compete with similar businesses in Massachusetts, he said.

“This will allow our gaming operators to go after those high rollers,” he said.

“While you and I may not conceive of the idea of bringing $50,000 to gamble away and play with, there are some people that do that.”

The state has 14 casinos, including Revo Casino and Social House in Keene.

Another big change under the new budget is a provision that allows video slot machines that use random number generators. Previously, the state only allowed more complex machines, which rely on results of past horse races and can be more expensive to operate.

“There will be cost savings that will go to players, so the win ratios will be a little better,” Lang said.

Growth in state revenue is anticipated because of the new and potentially more popular video slot machines.

The NH Legislature’s Committee of Conference, which formulated the final budget, estimated that the new machines would bring in $185.3 million in state revenue over the two-year life of the spending plan.

As a point of reference, the older devices brought in $23.3 million in the 2024 fiscal year. Reports haven’t been published yet from the recently concluded 2025 fiscal year.

The newer devices and the end of the $50 betting limit will likely raise revenues from out-of-state tourists, who might go into casinos after a day outdoors, Lang said.

“People are up here enjoying themselves skiing, hiking, or being on our lakes,” he said. “In the evening hours, I could see them moving into these kinds of locations.”

A 2017 article in the National Library of Medicine showed that problem gambling is associated with having access to more types of legal gambling.

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Phil Sletten, research director for the NH Fiscal Policy Institute, told the NH Business Review that state-sanctioned gambling, such as Keno, scratch tickets, lottery games, casinos and sports betting, is a valuable source of revenue for the state’s budget.

But it can also come with problems.

“Gambling addiction may generate costs to society, including both economic and social costs,” he said. “Some key research suggests that the negative effects of gambling and gambling addiction may fall disproportionate on people with lower incomes.”

Lang said that in the new budget, 0.25 percent of gaming revenue, or about $1 million a year, will go into a fund to support addiction services.

A note on the NH Lottery website encourages gamblers to “play responsibly,” and offers tips:

Always play for fun. Consider your lottery-playing budget to be an entertainment expense.

Keep track of how much money you spend playing.

Set a limit on how much you will play, and stick to it — only play with money that you can afford to lose. Never borrow money to play.

Never play with a need to win.

Know the odds.

The site also gives the number for the National Council on Problem Gambling hotline: 800-426-2537.

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Rick Green can be reached at 603-352-1234, ext. 1435, or rgreen@keenesentinel.com.

These articles are being shared by partners in the Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.