Two gaming executives with Las Vegas ties want to build a casino with a historic Las Vegas name inside a closed Sears store in Southern New Hampshire.
Under plans reported by the New Hampshire Union Leader on July 16, Ron Winchell, who operates 20 gaming locations in Southern Nevada, and Marc Falcone, former CFO of Red Rock Resorts, will partner with a Toronto-based private equity firm to create a casino in the building that would house 1,200 historical horse racing slot machines and 62 table games.
The project, named “The Mint,” would be located in Nashua, 20 miles south of Manchester, New Hampshire, and 50 miles north of Boston.
The Mint was a historic casino on Fremont Street that opened in 1957 and became the tallest building downtown when its 26-story hotel tower was unveiled in 1965. The Mint is now part of Binion’s Hotel and Casino.
Winchell, through his privately held Eclipse Gaming Operations, owns five traditional taverns with slot machines under three brands and more than 15 Jackpot Joannie’s slot parlors throughout Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson and Laughlin.
Winchell and his family also own thoroughbred racehorses, 12 of which have run in the Kentucky Derby. In 2022, Winchell’s co-owned Epicenter finished second in the Derby and Preakness Stakes.
Falcone, a longtime gaming research analyst and private equity hedge fund manager, spent four years as Red Rock’s top financial executive.
In 2018, Winchell and Falcone bought Kentucky Downs near the Kentucky and Tennessee border. The facility also has a historic horse racing venue under “The Mint” name.
Falcone said in a news release the partnership plans to develop The Mint into “one of the most sought-after [historical horse racing] gaming platforms in the New Hampshire market.”
