New Hampshire Gaming Operators Report Mixed Results in September

The New Hampshire Lottery Commission has published its Games of Chance (GOC) and Historic Horse Racing (HHR) revenue report for September 2024. Games such as cash poker, roulette, and craps collected almost $3.3 million in operator revenue, down 7% from August but up around 12% year-over-year.

Mixed Results Across The Twelve Venues

Of the twelve remaining game rooms, seven reported year-over-year revenue growth. Leading the list was The Brook with $770,076, while Lebanon Poker Room and the second place Gate City Casino reported the largest revenue increases at 47% each. Chasers Poker Room also maintained its position as one of the top three performers and the only other game room to report revenues exceeding $500,000 for the month. The top three remained the same in August, last September, and in 2023 overall.

The five remaining venues – including Aces + Eights, Lucky Moose, Ocean Gaming, River Casino, and Wonder Casino – reported revenue declines compared to September 2023. Ironically, Lucky Moose Casino faced the unluckiest fate, with the largest decline of 43% year-over-year.

Notably, all twelve game rooms reported a drop in revenues compared to August 2024. Aces + Eights saw the largest decrease of 48%, followed by Ocean Gaming’s 44% decline and a 32% drop for Lucky Moose. 

Year-To-Date Comparisons More Positive

While September saw mixed results, year-to-date figures reflect more positive trends. Ten game rooms have collected higher revenues compared with at the same point last year. Lebanon Poker Room leads this growth, with revenue up 63% from the previous year, surpassing $1 million. Lucky Moose and River Casino are the two venues reporting year-to-date declines of 16% and 41%, respectively.
 

At their current pace, New Hampshire’s GOC are on track to surpass the $34.1 million revenue total collected in 2023. The data in this report covers the 55% of revenue that goes to the operators, while the remaining GOC revenue supports the state and various charities. 

Charities such as Feeding Tiny Tummies, Homeland Heroes Foundation, and Swim With A Mission take 35%, as well as 8.75% of the HHR revenue. In September, GOC collected close to $2.1 million for the state’s list of charities and $604,603 for the state. Meanwhile, the $15.1 million in HHR revenue resulted in $11.3 million for game operators, $2.5 million for the state, and $1.3 million in charitable contributions.

Revenue Outlook Seems Positive

NH Casino Revenues are up 12% year over year compared to September 2024, despite the temporary loss of two venues compared to the ones that generated revenues in September 2023. Northwoods Casino shut earlier this year to make room for a larger charitable gaming facility in Berlin, NH. Meanwhile, the NH Lottery Commission forced Concord Casino to close its doors in January amid COVID-19 fraud allegations against its owner and former state senator Andy Sanborn.

The new charitable gaming venue has the potential to boost state revenues further. In addition, the courts were supportive of the sale of Concord Casino, providing additional time to finalize the sale and not allowing the gaming license to elapse, thus protecting another source of revenue and income for the state. So although revenues dropped monthly in September compared to August, New Hampshire casino revenues are showing a positive outlook when looking at the wider picture.