That\u2019s after gambling regulator the New Hampshire Lottery Commission (NHLC) expressed concern that the app is unlicensed in the state and alleges it \u201cdoes not conform to state law.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is a gray area of concern for us because all of the gambling in this state happens through us. We license or regulate it. In this case, neither,”<\/strong> NHLC executive director Charlie McIntyre told WMUR9 this week.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nThe State Attorney General\u2019s Office said it took \u201cpotential illegal activities related to gambling in the state very seriously,\u201d and was reviewing the situation.<\/p>\n
Churchill Downs says Twin Spires\u2019 off-track betting (OTB) operations in New Hampshire are legal and compliant with the federal Interstate Horse Racing Act, 1978 (IHRA).<\/p>\n
DraftKings Monopoly <\/strong><\/h2>\nNew Hampshire legalized sports betting in 2019, effectively handing an online monopoly to DraftKings. Twin Spires offers only pari-mutuel betting on horse races, which has always been given an easier ride in America than fixed-odds wagering.<\/p>\n
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But McIntyre says that taxpayers are losing \u201chundreds of thousands of dollars annually\u201d because the state is not collecting the revenue it would generate from a licensed fixed-odds sports betting app. McIntyre said he had approached Churchill Downs to find a workaround, unsuccessfully. He did not elaborate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Churchill Downs has a case when it says it is operating legally under IHRA. The federal law was enacted to legalize and regulate OTBs and interstate horse betting, and protects revenue for racetracks and the states in which they\u2019re located.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s IHRA?<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhile the rise of OTB outlets in the 1970s increased horse betting, it also damaged gate receipts at tracks. IHRA provided a federal framework that ensured legal OTBs would share revenues with the tracks, racehorse owners, and states in which they operated.\u00a0 To offer bets on its races, all OTBs would have to receive specific approval from any track within 60 miles.<\/p>\n
IHRA also said that states \u201cshould have the primary responsibility for determining what forms of gambling may legally take place within their borders.\u201d<\/p>\n
That means individual states are free to levy tax rates on OTBs as they see fit, or they can ban them outright and opt-out of the interstate horse racing industry altogether.<\/strong><\/p>\nSince New Hampshire has not enacted any specific laws banning OTBs, it will need to legislate appropriately if it wants to squeeze more money out of the Twin Spires app.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The New Hampshire Attorney General\u2019s Office is examining the legality of Churchill Downs Inc.\u2019s Twin Spires app, which offers pari-mutuel horse racing wagers to state residents. That\u2019s after gambling regulator the New Hampshire Lottery Commission (NHLC) expressed concern that the app is unlicensed in the state and alleges it \u201cdoes not conform to state law.\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":209609,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14577,13592],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Twin Spires OTB App Attracts Heat from New Hampshire AG\u2019s Office<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n