Casino Salem will close its doors in the early hours of March 9, as Churchill Downs Inc. prepares for a major redevelopment to transform the small gaming venue into the much larger Rockingham Grand Casino.
The casino inside The Mall at Rockingham Park opened this past summer as part of a joint venture spearheaded by Joe Faro of Tuscan Village and Sal Lupoli of Lupoli Companies.
It will officially cease operations at 1 a.m. that Monday to allow construction of the new casino, which is slated to open mid-2027.
The pair first proposed the project to the Salem Planning Department in 2024, emphasizing the number of jobs and charitable gaming revenue the multi-phase casino project would bring to the area, before selling a majority ownership to the Kentucky-based horse racing company that now plans to close the local gaming operation for more than a year.
Churchill Downs Inc. agreed to acquire 90% of the outstanding equity interest for $180 million in cash, less than a week after Casino Salem celebrated its grand opening.
In a statement, company officials said the closure is necessary because of the scale and complexity of the project and the challenges of safely running the casino during construction.
When Churchill Downs bought its stake in the casino, employment figures were estimated at about 700.
“During the construction phase, we plan to keep some current Casino Salem employees and will hire new team members well before Rockingham Grand opens next year,” Churchill Downs Inc. wrote in an email to The Eagle-Tribune.
“In the meantime, we are working to accommodate charities where we can at Chasers Poker Room, which will continue to operate during this period.”
Chasers Poker Room is also operated by Churchill Downs. On Jan. 12, the company said the redevelopment of Casino Salem into Rockingham Grand Casino will significantly expand gaming, entertainment and dining options while increasing employment and charitable contributions to the region.
The company said the decision (to close for construction) was not made lightly.
Construction of the new casino will materially lengthen the overall development timeline, and continuing to operate the 19,000-square-foot facility during that work would make it more difficult to maintain not only safety but the guest experience the company prides itself on delivering.
The new casino will occupy about 160,000 square feet across three floors, making it one of the largest gaming destinations in New Hampshire. Plans call for 852 historical racing machines, 32 table games, 12 electronic table game assets, a retail sports betting area, a sports bar, and several other food and beverage venues.
The development will also include a 900-seat live entertainment venue and flexible event spaces for concerts and gatherings, similar to plans first presented to the Planning Department in 2024, which projected the casino would generate more than $121 million for charitable gaming organizations in its first 10 years of operation.
The updated plans could disrupt that estimate. “We look forward to the positive economic and charitable impact that the Rockingham Grand Casino will have on local nonprofits and the Salem community as a whole,” Churchill Downs Inc. said in an email to The Eagle-Tribune.
Faro and Lupoli echoed that sentiment in a joint statement.
“We are excited to take the next step alongside our valued partners at Churchill Downs as we begin our journey to bring Rockingham Grand Casino to life,“ they said. “We remain fully committed to strengthening our local economy through the creation of vibrant consumer destinations.”
The Salem Planning Board approved the development plan in December, clearing a major regulatory hurdle for the project, company representatives said.
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Casino Salem will close its doors in the early hours of March 9, as Churchill Downs Inc. prepares for a major redevelopment to transform the small gaming venue into the much larger Rockingham Grand Casino.
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