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New Hampshire SB 104 was a 2023 proposal to legalize regulated online casino-style games and direct net proceeds to community college scholarships. It did not become law: after Senate Finance review, the House Ways and Means Committee recommended against it, and the House indefinitely postponed it on May 4, 2023. It is a historical bill, not a current proposal awaiting a Finance Committee hearing.

What New Hampshire SB 104 would have done

The Senate-amended bill would have authorized the New Hampshire Lottery Commission to offer online games of chance directly or through agents chosen competitively. Permitted games would have included poker, blackjack, roulette, craps and baccarat. It excluded sports wagering, paid fantasy sports, traditional games of chance, Internet lottery and historic horse racing. The Senate-amended bill text describes the proposed framework.

The Lottery Commission would have overseen the program and been responsible for safeguards intended to protect players and the system. These included age and identity checks, geolocation, wager limits, voluntary self-exclusion, information security, system reviews, audit controls and responsible-gaming plans.

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Where the proposed proceeds would have gone

After administrative costs, prizes and payments for problem-gambling services, proceeds received by the Commission would have been directed to a new community college scholarship fund. The proposal defined eligible students as New Hampshire residents who met academic or work qualifications set by the trustees and whose household income was no more than $100,000.

The Senate-amended text specified an intended effective date of January 1, 2024. That date was part of the proposal; because the bill was postponed, it did not bring the program into effect.

How the bill moved through the Legislature

Senate Finance review was one stage of SB 104’s 2023 legislative path, not a pending test. The official docket records the sequence:

  1. On February 22, 2023, the Senate adopted an amendment and voted 13–11 that the bill ought to pass, referring it to Finance under Senate Rule 4-5.
  2. On March 30, the Finance committee amendment’s initial ought-to-pass vote failed 11–12. After reconsideration, the Senate adopted an ought-to-pass motion 12–11 and sent the bill onward.
  3. The House referred the measure to Ways and Means. On April 26, that committee voted 20–0 to recommend inexpedient to legislate.
  4. On May 4, 2023, the House indefinitely postponed the bill.

The official status page lists the House disposition as “INDEFINITELY POSTPONED.” SB 104 therefore did not pass into law.

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What the fiscal note projected

The fiscal note was a forecast by the New Hampshire Lottery Commission, not a record of money collected or spent. Its estimates assumed a ramp-up for contracting and rulemaking, eventual market growth, and a state revenue-share expectation of at least 35% of gross gaming revenue.

Fiscal year Estimated state revenue Estimated expenditures
FY 2024 $2,362,500 $160,000
FY 2025 $9,450,000 $633,000
FY 2026 $14,175,000 $621,000

All figures are estimates in the 2023 New Hampshire Lottery Commission fiscal note attached to the amended bill, not actual outcomes. Since SB 104 was indefinitely postponed, the proposed program did not generate the projected revenue or expenditures. The bill record and attached fiscal note provide the underlying proposal and estimates.

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