In the last 14 months, Chicago gaming entrepreneur Greg Carlin has bought two New Hampshire casinos and is now investing $25 million refurbishing and expanding them. Ocean Gaming Casino overlooks Hampton Beach. The second, under construction, will sit in Rochester’s Lilac Mall, which Carlin also purchased.
Why invest so much in New Hampshire? “Historic horse racing,” a game approved by lawmakers in 2021 that’s played on what look like slot machines. Carlin is one of several national game operators who’ve largely taken over New Hampshire’s new historic horse racing market.
“Before the historical horse racing law passed … these properties were small table games with very low stakes,” said Carlin, owner of G2 Gaming, during a tour of his two-story Hampton casino, Ocean Gaming.
