Keene business owner proposes casino in Central Square building

Keene business and property owner Dorrie Masten has applied with the city to convert one of her properties at Central Square into a charitable gaming facility. 

But a zoning change making its way through City Hall would put a stop to those plans, if city councilors approve it in the new year.

The proposed ordinance, backed by outgoing Mayor George Hansel, would keep casinos out of the city’s downtown core and restrict them to specific zoning districts.

Masten, of Swanzey, owns a block of properties on Central Square, which include her business, The Pour House, as well as the building that houses Concord MedSpa. According to Masten’s application, which the Keene Sentinel obtained from the city’s Community Development Department via a right-to-know request, she is requesting a permit to allow casino machines and gaming tables in the same space as Concord MedSpa, at 41 Central Square.

While Masten told a reporter the charitable gaming facility would occupy the same address as the MedSpa, she declined to comment on that business’s future if she were awarded a permit.

Keene business and property owner Dorrie Masten has submitted an application to put in charitable gaming machines and tables at one of the properties she owns, which currently houses Concord MedSpa. (Photo by Hunter Oberst, Keene Sentinel)

Her application, which she submitted Nov. 17, shows a floor plan with room for casino machines against the walls and five tables mapped out around the interior.

“I’m hoping the city allows charitable gaming anywhere in our downtown,” she told a reporter Dec. 12. “Anywhere, whether it be my property or someone else’s property. There currently is no restriction, and there wasn’t a restriction until I asked about it and put in an application.”

Masten said she went to City Hall at the end of September, requesting floor plans for her property, before she submitted her application in November. 

Keene community development staff have said the zoning proposal was brought on by a Sept. 29 letter from Hansel, requesting that city councilors consider prohibiting charitable gaming facilities in the downtown core district, which primarily consists of Central Square and a section of Main Street. 

Masten believes the change was proposed to prevent her from opening a casino.

But Hansel said the idea stems from discussions he had with former Keene planning director Rhett Lamb in 2021, at the tail end of when the city was working on updating its land development code. He said they had decided to focus on getting that approved first, before suggesting any addendums.

“It doesn’t have anything to do with an individual applicant,” he said Dec. 12. He added that he and city staff are trying to get in front of recent trends and legislation in New Hampshire, which he thinks are making casinos more popular.

In June, NH Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill that increases the amount people can spend at these facilities. The legislation allows people to spend as much as $50 per wager in a game of chance, up from the previous $10 limit.

While traditional casinos are outlawed in the Granite State, New Hampshire allows machine-based or table-based games provided facilities give 35% of revenues to nonprofits.

NH Public Radio reported in August that the state’s casino industry is experiencing significant growth, with casinos in 2022 having grossed $54 million, a $10 million increase from 2021.

Currently, Keene has just one charitable gaming facility, Wonder Casino at 172 Emerald St. It is in the downtown growth district, where casinos would continue to be allowed under the ordinance proposal.

While he said he’s not against gambling or casinos, Hansel said he thinks casinos would run contrary to the rest of downtown.

He said he’s concerned that casino patrons would game for extended periods of time, and that a casino in the heart of the Elm City could sponge up limited parking slots shared by downtown businesses. 

Masten contests that gaming tables would take up a significant amount of space in her property, which would drive a lower occupancy than something like a nightclub.

“As a business owner myself, my business should be able to be one of the ones that share in the parking,” she said. “The parking argument doesn’t bear weight; it just sounds good.”

The ordinance, which would also prohibit for-profit organizations from opening a commercial bingo hall, such as a slot machine parlor, is scheduled for a public hearing on Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. at City Hall. 

Community Development Director Jesse Rounds said state statute and city policy prevent staff from issuing any charitable gaming permits until the councilors vote on the zoning change. Until then, Masten’s application is being put on ice.

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