NH Eyes End to $50 Bet Cap to Compete with Massachusetts

A simple stroll through the parking lots of New Hampshire’s biggest casinos near the Massachusetts border will reveal a large number of vehicles with Massachusetts plates. 

The explanation is easy to guess: Bay State residents with a passion for gambling are crossing state lines to try their luck in neighboring New Hampshire. This is not, however, the case for high-stakes gamblers.

Why? New Hampshire’s $50 cap on individual bets at table games like poker and blackjack is turning them away. Many prefer to play in Massachusetts, where no such betting limits exist.

HB 2 Could Remove the Restrictive Cap 

Republican Senator Tim Lang of Sanbornton is leading the charge to change that. He believes the current restrictions are making the state less competitive. 

“If I’m a high-stakes player, I’m going to go to Massachusetts. I’m not even going to come to New Hampshire because I’m limited to $50,” said Lang in an interview for the Monitor. “We’re trying to encourage and be competitive with our border states,” he added. 

At a recent Senate Finance Committee hearing, Lang proposed an amendment to House Bill 2, the section of the governor’s budget dealing with policy, to do away with the betting cap entirely. 

The committee gave the proposal a green light, though not everyone was on board.

Talks on Revenue and Gambling Addiction 

Senator Cindy Rosenwald, a Democrat from Nashua, raised concerns not only about removing wager limits but also about the broader push to expand gambling in the state, including efforts to legalize slot machines as a means of sending an extra $70 million a year toward nonprofit organizations.

“While I get that there are a lot of ways for people to ruin their lives and probably we should let them, I’m not sure that we should help them along the way,” Rosenwald remarked during the hearing.

Just last year, lawmakers increased the maximum bet from $10 to $50. Lang doesn’t believe that bump, or removing the limit entirely, will have a measurable effect on gambling addiction. 

“If someone has an addictive personality, whether it’s $50 or $100, they’re still going to gamble,” he said. “I don’t think that’s going to drive and create more addiction.”

Supporters argue that lifting the cap could bring a financial windfall. Currently, 35% of table game revenue goes to local charities, while 10% supports the state’s Education Trust Fund. 

For Lang and others, letting players wager freely isn’t just about competition, but about keeping that revenue in New Hampshire.