DraftKings opened its first retail sportsbook in New Hampshire at The Brook casino in Seabrook on Tuesday.

Enhanced safety and sanitization protocols were in place for the opening of the new sportsbook at The Brook, according to a news release. DraftKings, The Brook and the New Hampshire Lottery made the sportsbook announcement Tuesday, calling it the “first of its kind for the state.”

“With major sports resuming in recent weeks, I am extremely pleased The Brook is opening its new retail sportsbook,” Gov. Chris Sununu said in the release. “This retail sportsbook represents the next evolution for the New Hampshire Lottery and DraftKings, which have already established New Hampshire as the go-to destination for sports betting in the Northeast. Along with placing bets online and with their mobile devices, sports fans now have an exciting new retail location where they can place bets.”

Sununu signed a sports betting bill into law last year and placed the first online bet in New Hampshire in late December. The law legalized online and mobile sports betting and allows for 10 retail sportsbook locations in the state. DraftKings and the state were prepared to announce locations in March, but put plans on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.

At the time, Lynda Plant, deputy director of the New Hampshire Lottery Commission, said “the state, the lottery and DraftKings will not be making any final determinations or announcements on selection of locations until there is more certainty about when these locations could be open to the public.”

The New Hampshire law also allows for five sportsbook operators, but DraftKings, which is based in Boston, holds exclusive rights in the state after it offered to pay 51% of gross gaming revenue from mobile and 50% from future retail in a six-year deal. Those percentages decrease if other operators enter the market.

The DraftKIngs Sportsbook at The Brook
Nevada-based Eureka Casino Resorts, which acquired and re-branded The Brook in 2019, said it has spent months coming up with a new safety and sanitization plan for employees and guests, according to the release. It includes social distancing and hand sanitizer stations, and guests and employees are required to wear masks.

The Brook, formerly known as Seabrook Park, was rebranded and renovated by Eureka after it purchased the facility. The sportsbook has betting kiosks and video walls, and is in The Brook’s “Stadium” sports entertainment space, the release said.

“We built The Stadium at The Brook to be the best place to watch sports anywhere in New England. Unless you're at the game, we feel that there's no better place. Our new sportsbook will offer sports fans throughout the region a state-of-the-art, dynamic betting experience,” Andre Carrier, CEO of The Brook, said in the release. A ribbon cutting ceremony is tentatively planned for September at a date and time to be determined.

New Hampshire Sports Betting
Charlie McIntyre, executive director of the New Hampshire Lottery, said the state has had more than 42,000 registered players since launching at the end of December.

“Mobile sports betting is already attracting a new generation of players to the New Hampshire Lottery,” McIntyre said in the release. “The addition of The Brook’s retail sportsbook will only further support our efforts to maximize revenue for education in New Hampshire.”

Total sports betting in New Hampshire has exceeded $65 million since December. Rhode Island, which recently eliminated its strict in-person registration policy, and New Hampshire are the only two New England states to offer sports betting. Massachusetts is considering legislation to legalize it and Vermont has passed a bill to study sports betting.

DraftKings and New Hampshire still have up to nine more retail sites to announce. Residents in 16 towns have approved sites in their communities.

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