Celebrating the grand opening of the expanded Gate City Casino on Oct. 24 are from left, Andrew Gentile, general manager of Gate City Casino, Brian Smith, assistant general manager of Gate City Casino, Krista Thomas, senior director of gaming partnerships for DraftKings, David Frankhouser, chief operating officer of Delaware North’s gaming division; Mayor James Donchess, John Conforti, chief compliance officer of the New Hampshire Lottery, Michael Alpferberg, president of the United Way of Greater Nashua and Erica Thoits, director of community relations for CASA New Hampshire. Courtesy photo/Delaware North

NASHUA – Gate City Casino celebrated the completion of its expanded charitable gaming venue – now one of the largest gaming destinations in New Hampshire – with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 24.

Delaware North, which owns and operates Gate City Casino, expanded the casino into adjacent space at 55 Northeastern Blvd. to accommodate 540 historic horse racing gaming machines, a new poker room and new retail DraftKings Sportsbook, which opened in August.

After acquiring the casino in October 2022, Delaware North added about 150 HHR machines by year’s end, another 150 this spring and summer and the balance of the 540 since August.

“We are so proud of the transformation and expansion of Gate City Casino into a full-scale regional gaming and entertainment destination with the largest number of HHR gaming machines in the state, a new 15-table poker room and a DraftKings Sportsbook to complement its 19 table games, restaurant and sports bar,” said Brian Hansberry, president of Delaware North’s gaming division. “We also operate the nearby Sheraton Nashua, a beautiful hotel that makes weekend and other visits to Gate City Casino from throughout New Hampshire and Greater Boston highly convenient.”

Hansberry said that with the expansion, Delaware North now employs about 300 people in Nashua – about 215 at the casino and 85 at the hotel – contributing to the local and state economy. The expansion also means more funding for charitable organizations.

He also said Delaware North will continue to work toward a longer-term move of Gate City Casino to the 337-room Sheraton Nashua hotel, which the company acquired last October along with the casino.

Gate City Casino is the longest standing charitable casino in Nashua, contributing more than $15 million to local and state charitable organizations since 2016. Michael Alpferberg, president of the United Way of Greater Nashua, said the funds are unrestricted dollars as they can be used for a variety of purposes including grant matching.

The new DraftKings Sportsbook – the fourth DraftKings retail sportsbook location to open in the state – features 12 self-service sports betting kiosks and an over-the-counter window for patrons to place wagers. The space includes multiple television screens to watch sporting events with food and beverage service only a few steps away at Gate City Casino’s restaurant and sports bar.

“We’re thrilled to be a part of Gate City Casino’s expansion, giving customers more exciting offerings to enjoy,” said Michael Kibort, Sr., director of Retail Sportsbook at DraftKings. “Since opening our DraftKings Sportsbook in August, the reception from fans has been very positive and we look forward to welcoming more visitors to this retail location for years to come.”