The New Hampshire Lottery in August published a Request for Proposals (RFP) from potential operators of a sportsbook for the state. The legislature legalized sports betting in July. The lottery hopes to launch sports betting by early 2020, and no later than September.
Since the RFP, the Office of the Lottery has gotten more than 100 questions from possible bidders that it published—although it did not list names of potential bidders. However, some are considered almost certain to make proposals, such as DraftKings, based in Boston, and its top rival, FanDuel, along with William Hill and Penn National, to name a few. According to the lottery, there were 20 questions from potential operators.
Lottery chief Charlie McIntyre said he is allowing the replies to the RFP to partially shape the process, which would give possibly creative solutions to present themselves before the lottery shuts the door. To quote a source, the lottery is “punting” on a number of issues until it has more data to work with.
The lottery has provided some solid answers. For instance, funds must be deposited while a bettor is physically inside the state. The legislature stipulated that there be 10 physical locations for sportsbooks and as many as five mobile platforms. Municipalities can decide by a vote of the people whether to allow such operations.
The lottery received several questions as to whether it will have its own branded app. Many potential operators believe that it will, according to Sports Handle. The state’s answer is this: “NHLC is open to different branding concepts. It is not a requirement that all channels be branded in the same manner. Proposers should offer the branding that they believe is best along with any variations they can provide.”
Potential operators are also quite interested in what percent of the amount wagered they will retain. The answer, according to the state is: “The percentage of GGR retained by the proposer will be the subject of the price proposal after review and scoring of technical proposals.”
When the Granite State unveils its sports book it will be the second New England state to do so; Rhode Island is the first.
