Betting online on horse racing is legal in New Hampshire. Today, the state’s law also allows some casino-style gambling at 17 licensed “games of chance” sites, a state-run lottery, cardrooms, charitable gaming, and sports betting for those 18 and older. It added historic horse racing machines – similar to slot machines but based on the results of old races – to its wagering menu in 2021.
But bills seeking to allow racetracks to operate as “racinos” by adding casino-style gaming never passed, leading to their demise.
The state currently has one off-track betting site operating for fans who want to wager on simulcast races from other states: The Brook in Seaside, a former dog racing track known as Seaside Park until the state banned the sport in 2010.
Because state law allows parimutuel betting, nearly all providers of advance-deposit wagering (ADW) services offering online betting on horse races accept customers from New Hampshire, including the four biggest operators: TVG.com; TwinSpires.com; NYRABets.com; and XpressBet.com.
The sites offer a variety of signup bonuses and rewards programs to attract new customers, so it pays to shop around before settling on an ADW provider that’s right for you.
New Hampshire Horse Race Betting Sites & Offers
| Racebooks | Welcome Offer for New Hampshire | Other Promos |
| Nyra Bets | $200 deposit match | Odds boosters, daily offers |
| TVG | Get up to $200 back | Get a $25 Bonus for every friend you refer |
| TwinSpires | $200 sign-up offer | Free play daily & weekly options |
| Xpressbet | $100 sign-up bonus | XB Rewards loyalty program |
| 123bet | $1230 new member bonus | Refer-a-Friend bonus: get $50 |
| 1/ST BET | $100 sign-up bonus | Rewards points every Tuesday and other weekly offers |
| AmWager | 100% Deposit Match Bonus, up to $150 | Daily cash rewards |
| DRF | Get a $200 bonus on the first deposit | Earn up to $50 every week |
| Hollywoodraces.com | $200 Sign Up Bonus | WINsurance Offers: refund up to $20 |
| WatchandWager.com | Bonus up to $25 | The weekly 3-2-1 Bonus, no maximum payouts on cashback |
How to claim a horse racing bet promo in New Hampshire?
Horse racing betting features for New Hampshire
- Nyra Bets New Hampshire Features:
- Free live video streaming (HD live and replay) on Thoroughbred, Harness, and Quarter horse racing and race replays nationwide
- Free handicapping tips
- Swap positions quickly for Exacta, Tri & Supers
- Weekly live money handicapping contests with cash prizes
- TVG New Hampshire Features:
- TVG Expert Picks for everyday
- Free Past Performances Program
- Live streams from tracks around the US and beyond
- Money Back Special on select races
- TwinSpires New Hampshire Features:
- First Race Freeplay: get $100 in Free Bets
- 15% boost on a winning Trifecta bet every Tuesday
- Exacta insurance: get a bet back of up to $10
- Live races and highlights of previous races, both on the website and the app
- Bet Back offers (receive a refund for your bet if the horse you bet on to win the race finishes in second or third)
- Daily Double bets
- Xpressbet New Hampshire Features:
- Horse racing’s leading loyalty program (receive two XB Rewards Points for every dollar you wager)
- Cash prizes in regular handicapping contests
- Deposit by mail
- Bet the horse races over the phone
- AmWager New Hampshire Features:
- Current and historical horse race results from a single screen
- Advanced wagering structuring tools. Dutching, ABC method, Rank betting.
- DRF New Hampshire Features:
- Unlimited DRF Classic and Formulator Past Performances
- Free Beyer Speed Figures
- Free DRF expert picks
- 1st/bet New Hampshire Features:
- Up-to-date news about upcoming races
- Unlimited access to the BETMIX products
- 123bet New Hampshire Features:
- No fees Friday (deposit $10 or more on Fridays via credit card or Paynearme)
- Loyalty Reward Points
- Handicapping products from Equibase (available only on the web)
- Hollywood Races New Hampshire Features:
- Free Expert Picks
- Loyalty program for top players
- Watch and Wager New Hampshire Features:
- Horse Racing Contests Daily for free
- Refer-a-Friend Bonus
Horse bet types available online
In New Hampshire, you can place different types of horse wagers. The most popular online bets are
- Win (the horse you bet on must come first)
- Place (the horse must finish first or second)
- Show (the horse must come either first, second, or third)
- Win Place (places a win and a place bet in one bet)
- Win Show (places a win and a show bet in one bet)
- Win Place Show (aka “across the board”; combines Win, Place and Show into one bet)
- Exacta (you bet on horses to come first and second in that order)
- Quinella (the same as exacta, but horses can finish in any order for you to win the bet)
- Trifecta (three horses should finish first, second and third in that order)
- Superfecta (the same as trifecta but here you bet on four horses)
- Super High 5 (you have to choose the winner of five races in a row)
- Grand Slam (pick a horse to finish in the top three in three straight races, capped by the winner of the fourth race in the sequence)
- Parlays (combine multiple selections on the same ticket, even if the races aren’t in sequential order).
Banking
- Credit and Debit Cards
- ACH Bank Transfer / eCheck
- Wire Transfer
- Green Dot
- PayNearMe
- Check or Money Order
- MoneyGram
- PayPal
- By mail: Xpressbet & Hollywood Races
- Bitcoin: AmWager via BitPay
New Hampshire Horse Betting Overview
While betting on horse races remains legal in New Hampshire, the Granite State is one of several northeastern states where live racing has been extinguished.
The last track staging race in the state – Rockingham Park – ran its last race in 2009 and was closed for good in 2016. Today it is an expansive shopping center, known as the Mall at Rockingham Park.
The Hinsdale Raceway, a half-mile harness track in southern New Hampshire, ran its last horse race in 1985 but continued to host greyhound dog races until 2008.
The disappearance of horse racing occurred despite a long history in the state. The earliest accounts of contests between equine athletes in the state date to the early 1700s.
Rockingham Park was the undisputed jewel of the state’s racing scene after opening on June 28, 1906. The thoroughbred track near the train depot in the town of Salem drew more than 10,000 fans from as far away as New York City, according to accounts from the time. Unfortunately for the operators, gambling was still illegal in New Hampshire and authorities shut down the operation after three days.
The track widely known as “The Rock” reopened on the sly occasionally in subsequent years and also hosted motor vehicle races and other events before the state Legislature approved legal parimutuel racing in the 1930s.
The track reopened as a harness race track and remained a popular destination until a fire destroyed the grandstand and badly damaged the clubhouse in 1980. The refurbished track reopened four years later, but the damage to the fan base, accelerated by the closure of several other tracks in nearby Vermont and Rhode Island, had been done and attendance and handle dwindled over the ensuing decades.
As racing’s sun was setting, the state was expanding other gambling opportunities.
Fun fact about horse racing in New Hampshire
Seabiscuit, the Hall of Fame racehorse and star of the eponymous Hollywood movie, raced four times at Rockingham Park in 1935 and 1936 while still a maiden, with a runner-up placing his best effort. He finally graduated into the winning ranks in his 18th start after shipping from Rockingham to Narragansett racetrack in Rhode Island.
Popular horse racing events to bet on in New Hampshire
- The Kentucky Derby
- Belmont Stakes
- Preakness Stakes
- Breeders’ Cup
- Royal Ascot
- Cheltenham Festival
- Travers Stakes
- Santa Anita Handicap
- Arkansas Derby
- Pacific Classic Stakes
- Haskell Invitational
- Dubai World Cup
- Melbourne Cup
- Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
- Grand National
Horse Race Tracks in New Hampshire
- Rockingham Park (closed in 2016)
Nor are there any live racing venues in the state.
FAQs
Yes, you can. You must be 18 or older to place online horse bets in New Hampshire. Players over the age of eighteen may participate in all forms of legal and affordable gambling that New Hampshire has to offer, including betting on out-of-state horse racing.
Yes, New Hampshire allows horse racing betting online and through mobile apps.
Yes, OTB is legal in New Hampshire. The state currently has one off-track betting site operating for those who want to wager on simulcast races from other states – The Brook in Seaside.