TD Garden owner to buy Boston Billiard Club; historic horse racing major focus
Aug. 14—The owners of the Boston Billiard Club & Casino in Nashua have worked out a deal to sell the business to Delaware North, a global hospitality and entertainment company.
And historic horse racing approved last year was a selling point.
Buffalo-based Delaware North owns the TD Garden in Boston and other high-profile venues across four continents. The terms of the agreement between Delaware North and the casino's owners, Kurt and Susan Mathias, are not being disclosed. The closing is expected to take place this year.
The sale requires approval from the New Hampshire Lottery Commission.
Delaware North, which operates casinos and other gaming venues in seven other states, became interested in buying the business after New Hampshire last year passed legislation to allow historical horse racing gaming machines at licensed gaming operations, according to a news release.
Historic horse racing games look and operate similar to other gaming machines, but players pick winners of randomly selected horse races that have already been run.
"We think the addition of this increasingly popular type of gaming machine can take Boston Billiard Club & Casino to the next level while increasing the benefit for charitable organizations," Brian Hansberry, president of Delaware North's gaming business, said in a statement.
Plans call for 300 historic horse racing gaming machines to be placed front and center where billiard tables are now. A long-term plan for the tables is being developed.
The Brook Casino in Seabrook became the first to offer historic horse racing machines and launched in late April. Ocean Gaming at Hampton Beach launched a month later, according to the lottery. Four additional casinos have their licenses pending.
"With two HHR licenses issued, the 14 remaining games of chance facilities in New Hampshire are eligible to apply if they meet the regulatory requirements prior to being licensed," said lottery spokeswoman Maura McCann in an email to the Union Leader.
The state had previously estimated that operators will get $49 million in annual revenue from historic racing, with $12 million going to state education aid and $6 million to charities. Charities, who get 35% of the casino gambling wagers, will see only 8.75% from historic racing.
Boston Billiard, which opened at 55 Northeastern Boulevard in 2000, started offering charitable gaming in 2016 and has since raised $14 million for charities such as United Way of Greater Nashua, Boys & Girls Clubs, CASA of New Hampshire and Special Olympics of New Hampshire.
The 23,000-square-foot building houses 17 table games, including roulette and Spanish 21, 20 poker tables featuring various forms of poker, and 21 billiards tables, according to the release. The Container Bar, an outdoor bar, opened last year and features outdoor games and firepits.
The Brook now offers live simulcast horse racing and historic horse racing machines. The property was formerly Seabrook Park, which hosted live greyhound racing until the state banned it in 2010.
"We launched the week before the Kentucky Derby, which we thought was an appropriate time given the pari-mutuel history of the property," said CEO Andre Carrier. "Seabrook Park was the only remaining pari-mutuel racing facility in New Hampshire."
The machines are being phased in with "a little under 500" historic racing machines in the 70,000-square-foot building.
"Response to the games themselves have been very good," Carrier said. Some of the best manufacturers are making machines for historic racing, he said.
"It is based on the outcomes of races of the past," he said. "You can handicap the race, but you wouldn't know the year, race track and race you're handicapping."
Delaware North expects to add at least 10 new jobs to the approximate 200 employed by Boston Billiard.
The company owns and operates casinos and other gaming venues in New York, West Virginia, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Arkansas and Arizona as well as in Darwin, Australia. The company also operates retail and mobile sports betting in Arkansas and West Virginia.
Kurt Mathias called it a "bittersweet decision" to sell after operating the business for 22 years.
"We did so knowing that Delaware North is a family-run operation like ours and holds the same core values," he said in a statement.
