New Hampshire's Boston Billiard Club & Casino changes name to Gate City Casino, expands offerings

Hospitality and entertainment company Delaware Northannounced that theBoston Billiard Club & Casino in Nashua, New Hampshire will be now named Gate City Casino. As stated by the company, the name change is a tribute to the area that is sometimes called "Gate City", and comes amid a series of upgrades to the property.

"We renamed it the Gate City Casino to pay homage to its location and history in Nashua,"saidBrian Hansberry, President of Delaware North’s gaming division, in a recent statement. "Much like Nashua’s history as the travel and economic/cultural ‘gateway’ between the major city of Boston to Manchester, Concord, and all of New Hampshire, the new name reflects the expanded casino’s significance to the region.”

Along with the name change, the business announced several updates. By the end of the next month, the casino is set to haveover 500 gaming machines. Additionally, a new poker room featuring approximately 19 table games also recently opened. The casino currently has 300 historic horse racing machines with 200 more expected to be added by mid-October, according to a news release.

The company, which acquired the casino in October last year, is also planning to eventually move the casino to the 337-room Sheraton Nashua hotel, which was also purchased by Delaware North in the same month.

Hansberry said the plan will likely take several years and extensive renovations. "We want to provide onsite accommodations for casino patrons traveling from greater Boston and the New England region," he said, as reported by the New Hampshire Union Leader.

Boston Billiard Club opened in 2000 and was the last to bear the name of a small chain of billiard clubs that originated in 1990 in Boston. But under the change of focus, the billiard tables were removed last November with the launch of historic horse racing machines at the club.

Earlier this week,the company also opened a new retail DraftKings Sportsbook, located within the rebranded Gate City Casino, representing the fourth DraftKings sportsbook in the state. Other sportsbooks are located in Dover, Manchester, and Seabrook.

The DraftKings Sportsbook boasts12 self-service sports betting kiosks and an over-the-counter window for patrons to place their wagers. Additionally, the space is equipped with multiple television screens for viewing sporting events, while food and beverage service is available just steps away at Gate City Casino's restaurant and sports bar. DraftKings also plans to launch online operations in Kentucky on September 28.

Elsewhere in Nashua, ECL Entertainment, in partnership with Toronto-based private equity firm Clairvest,has plans to establish a 130,000-square-foot charitable gaming facility at the southeastern corner of Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua, New Hampshire. The facility is slated to open in late 2024.

This development will involve the transfer of licenses from ECL's previous acquisitions, The Lucky Moose Casino & Tavern and The River Casino & Sports Bar, both also located in Nashua, NH Business Review reported.