New Hampshire Abortion Providers Could Be Cut From State’s Charitable Casino Program
Posted on: January 13, 2026, 04:16h.
Last updated on: January 13, 2026, 04:17h.
- Legislation in New Hampshire would remove abortion providers from charitable gaming
- The proposed bill would ban abortion nonprofits from being a casino’s beneficiary
- New Hampshire has only charitable casino gaming
New Hampshire is home to 14 commercial casinos, where each day they benefit a designated charity. Newly introduced legislation seeks to remove nonprofits as eligible beneficiaries should they be involved in providing abortion services.
New Hampshire’s 2026 legislative session began last week. The lawmaking period runs through the end of June.
House Bill 1338, filed by state Reps. John Sellers (R-Grafton), Sandra Panek (R-Hillsborough), and Diane Kelley (R-Hillsborough), would restrict abortion providers from the definition of charitable organizations for the purposes of charitable gaming.
New Hampshire’s casino law qualifies a “charitable organization” as any “bona fide religious, charitable, civic, veterans’, or fraternal or church organization, including police and firemen’s organizations and houses of worship” that has been registered with the state for at least a year. HB1338 seeks to amend the definition.
“For the purposes of this section, ‘charitable organization’ shall not include an abortion provider,” the proposed law reads.
Charitable Casinos
Each day a charitable casino operates in New Hampshire, 35% of the net revenue must be allocated for that day’s designated nonprofit. The gaming operator retains 31.25% of the slot-like gaming machine and table game revenue, and 31% goes to the state. The remaining 2.5% goes to cover regulatory costs, and 0.25% is directed to the Governor’s Commission on Addiction, Treatment, and Prevention.
Since New Hampshire legalized charitable casinos in 2006, nonprofits that provide abortion services have qualified to be gaming beneficiaries. Sellers said on the House floor Monday that abortion providers are not being charitable to the unborn babies.
Providing an abortion is not charitable. It’s killing,” Sellers declared.
For most of the state’s charitable gaming years, politics has managed to stay out of the nonprofit eligibility rules. Some hope to keep it that way by killing HB1338.
“This bill creates a politically targeted exclusion, rather than a neutral policy change, and it sets a concerning precedent for charitable gaming in the state,” Jinelle Hobson, executive director of the Equality Health Center in Concord, told the Concord Monitor. “Our organization is being treated differently, not because of how we operate, but because of the lawful scope of services we provide.”
New Hampshire Abortion Law
New Hampshire allows abortions up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for fatal fetal diagnoses and the life of the pregnant person. A person seeking an abortion under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian sign off on the procedure at least 48 hours before the abortion. However, a judge can excuse this requirement for certain circumstances.
The Lakes Region Pregnancy Care Center, which provides abortion services, received $63,977 in the third quarter of 2025 from charitable gaming and $143,997 in the fourth quarter of 2024.
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