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Churchill Downs might be getting out of the online sports betting game, but that doesn’t mean the company isn’t expanding its operations. On the contrary, it’s diverted its resources to acquisitions like Chasers Poker Room.
The facility in New Hampshire is less than an hour’s drive from Boston. With the takeover, Churchill Downs will ramp up operations by adding historical horse racing to the action.
Chasers Poker Room set to expand after acquisition
According to a press release, Churchill Downs announced it signed an agreement to purchase the facility on Tuesday. It’s unclear exactly when the transaction will close other than sometime in the second quarter of this year. However, the press release calls Chasers the leading charitable gaming operator in the state.
“New Hampshire is an exciting opportunity for us, one that allows us to put our historical racing machine expertise to work in the growing New England market,” said Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs.
“We look forward to sharing more about our plans to build an expanded, state-of-the-art gaming facility in Salem in the coming months.”
This comes less than a month after Churchill Downs said it would narrow its TwinSpires online platform to focus on betting on horse races. Specifically, that means shutting down its online casino and online sports betting products.
Currently, Chasers offers poker variants like Criss Cross, Pot Limit Omaha, and Texas Hold ‘Em. Additionally, players can find table games like Blackjack, Cajun Stud, and Roulette. Those options are soon to expand even further.
Historical horse racing coming to Chasers
Upon closing, Churchill Downs plans to add historical horse racing. Last year, the state ed a new law allowing charitable gaming operators to offer the machines on their premises.
When that happens, HHR gaming in New Hampshire will become the fourth state in which Churchill Downs operates. Kentucky, Louisiana, and Virginia are the other three.
It’s uncertain right now how many of the terminals will be available at Chasers. The press release mentions developing an expanded facility but doesn’t put any timeline on the completion of that objective.
Regardless of when the options for visitors to Chasers are set to expand soon, that could give Bostonians a new reason to make the drive.
