New Hampshire’s New Gaming Property to be Called Nash Casino

Posted on: July 8, 2024, 09:27h. 

Last updated on: July 9, 2024, 09:45h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Nashua, New Hampshire’s forthcoming casino at the Pheasant Lane Mall will be called The Nash Casino.

The name and modern exterior design recently were released by ECL Entertainment, a Las Vegas-based gaming company.

The New Hampshire casino will include more than 1,000 historic horse race (HHR) machines and dozens of table games.

It will be placed in a two-story, 180,000-square-foot former Sears store, and is scheduled to open next winter. The store has been vacant since 2020.

The property will be a charitable casino and will direct 35% of its profits to nonprofits. The casino is expected to earn about $24M a year for more than 100 nonprofits, according to New Hampshire TV station WMUR.

Between 500 and 600 employees will be hired at The Nash Casino.

Opposition to Casino

The casino had led to controversy.

I think a casino, while it can help bring in revenue and help nonprofits, it might not be the direction I want to see Nashua heading,” Mags Pattantyus, a Nashua resident, told WMUR.

Residents have also voiced concerns about how police will handle emergencies at the casino. One issue is that the entire parking area is in Tyngsborough, Mass., rather than in New Hampshire.

Others thought the presence of a casino would clash with other mall tenants.

“It seems to me that an adult entertainment center [placed] into one of the five big box stores, the vacant Sears store, is way out of character with the master plan, and I think it’s way out of character with the mall, which [is] a family-friendly shopping center,” Bill Ohm, a local resident, told WMUR.

Future Jobs a Plus

But Jesse Dellea is happy that her Nashua neighbors can get hired at the new gaming property.

If it brings jobs to the area, that’s great,” she told WMUR.

“I think having a casino in the mall is outside-the-box thinking … I believe, in the end, it will be a shot in the arm to the Daniel Webster Highway and the retail, restaurants, and what have you, down there,” added Stefan Hausberger, a local business owner, said.

Last year, the Nashua Planning Board voted by a 4-to-1 margin to okay the project.

Under the plan, licenses from two Nashua casinos, The Lucky Moose Casino & Tavern and The River Casino & Sports Bar, will be transferred to the new casino.

The Simon Property Group owns the Pheasant Lane Mall.