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DraftKings in pole position for NH sports betting launch

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DraftKings looks set to be awarded licences for retail and mobile sports betting in New Hampshire, after the operator’s proposals for each channel scored highest in the state’s license tender. 

The request for proposals (RFP) issued by the New Hampshire Lottery in August received 13 submissions for mobile wagering contracts, six for retail sportsbooks and four to run betting on behalf of the lottery. 

DraftKings, which has partnered Crown Gaming for its bid, was ranked above all others for mobile and retail, and second for its lottery proposal behind Intralot. The lottery will now enter into final negations with the two businesses, and according to the RFP final contrast could be signed by November 20.

DraftKings has proposed a revenue share agreement with the state that declines based on how many other operators are permitted to enter the market. 

Should it be allowed to offer mobile wagering exclusively, it will return 51% of sports betting gross gaming revenue (GGR) to the New Hampshire Lottery, with this declining to 21% if up to three companies are licensed. Should between four and five operators secure mobile licenses, this declines to 16%. 

For retail, it has proposed a 40% GGR deal, no matter how many licenses are awarded. This would rise to 50% for a contract covering retail and mobile, though it is unclear whether this would cover mobile on-premises bets only. 

Intralot, meanwhile, has secured the right to negotiate a deal to power betting for the lottery with a proposal to hand over 19.25% of wagering GGR to the state.

While DraftKings and Intralot were selected through the tender, the legislation signed into law by New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu in July allows for up to ten retail sportsbooks and five mobile operators. This suggests that Kambi, which came second in the mobile rankings, and the GVC-MGM joint venture Roar Digital, which came second in retail, may have a route to market. 

Both Kambi and Roar’s bids were unsealed as part of the selection process. For mobile, Kambi offered a 12% share of net gaming revenue (NGR) to serve as the exclusive mobile provider, which increased to 13.5% if it was named one of three providers, then to 17.5% for up to five. 

Roar, meanwhile, proposed a 20% GGR share for the lottery for exclusive rights, which declined to 15% for one of three, then 10% for up to five. Its bid for retail betting was ranked second behind DraftKings, and offered a 9% share if it was allowed to run up to three locations, 10% for up to six, then 11% for up to 10.

Also competing in the mobile tender were William Hill, which partnered International Game Technology for its bid, Churchill Downs, FanDuel, Addison Global, Newgioco Group, BetConstruct, a company called Lupoli and land-based casino Boston Billiards. 

William Hill/IGT, Churchill Downs, Intralot and Betconstruct also submitted bids for the retail contract, while Kambi and Betconstruct put forward proposals to run betting for the lottery.