New Hampshire legalises Daily Fantasy Sports

Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu yesterday signed a bill into law that legalises and regulates daily fantasy sports in the state, making it the 13th US state to do so. House bill 580 already passed through both houses of the New Hampshire legislature last month and hands responsibility for drafting and implementing regulations for DFS, and the monitoring and enforcement of operators to the New Hampshire Lottery Commission. Operators are required to register with the commission but are allowed to operate in the state while the law takes effect, on the condition that they submit registration documents. Notably, the law does not set a fee or tax rate for operators who register with the state despite an earlier version of the bill including both an upfront fee and a tax on revenue. The law also includes consumer protection for individuals using registered DFS sites which include: a ban on operator employees participating in DFS, the segregation of player funds from a DFS companies operational funds, responsible gaming protocols and the introduction of a minimum age requirement of 18 for all DFS players. It’s been a busy month for the New Hampshire gambling industry, with legislators recently passing a law legalising and regulating lottery ticket sales online via the New Hampshire Lottery Commission. As with the regulation of DFS, the commission carries the responsibility for imposing and controlling a regulatory framework governing the lottery in the granite state.