New Hampshire Sports Gambling Thrives in October Despite Yearly Decline

Despite a year-over-year decrease, the month saw a notable increase in betting handle and revenue, mainly driven by the ongoing National Football League (NFL) season.

NFL Season Boosts Gambling Metrics

The NFL, currently in its 13th week out of 18, has been a substantial factor in the growth of handle and revenue for US operators. This trend, propelled by the excitement of the NFL season, is expected to continue into November.

New Hampshire Lottery’s Report

The New Hampshire Lottery (NHL), which oversees gambling in the state, categorizes sports betting revenue into three segments: online, retail, and combined. Their report for October reflects interesting trends in these categories.

October Handle Increases

The NHL reported that the sports betting handle for October reached $77.84 million, with significant contributions from both online and retail sportsbooks:

• Online sportsbook contributed $65.85 million, a $6.65 million increase from September.
• Retail sportsbooks added $11.99 million, up $4.34 million from the previous month.
• However, this represents a 14.79% decrease compared to the same month last year.
• Despite the year-over-year drop, there’s a 16.44% improvement from September, marking October as the month with the highest spend since March’s record of $103.39 million.

Gaming Revenue Insights

The October 2023 revenue report from the NHL showed:

• Online sports bets generated $8.45 million in revenue.
• Retail sportsbooks contributed $334,433.

While this combined revenue of $8.78 million indicates a 3.27% decline from last October, it’s a significant 42.14% increase from September’s revenue of $6.17 million. Notably, October’s gaming revenue is the highest since January 2023.

Our Comment on the Article

New Hampshire’s sports gambling scene in October paints a picture of resilience and growth, particularly in the context of the ongoing NFL season. The month’s robust performance, especially in the online sector, suggests a healthy appetite for sports betting among consumers.

While the year-over-year decrease might raise some concerns, the month-on-month growth and the record-breaking figures since the start of the year indicate a positive trajectory. As the NFL season progresses, it’s likely that New Hampshire will continue to see a surge in betting activity, reflecting the dynamic nature of the sports gambling industry.