New Hampshire: $500 Million Hampton Beach Casino Gains Unanimous Approval
Posted on: November 7, 2025, 12:37h.
Last updated on: November 7, 2025, 12:37h.
- Hampton officials have approved the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom redevelopment
- The charitable casino space is expected to grow by five times
A major redevelopment of the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom in New Hampshire has been greenlit.
This week, the Hampton Planning Board unanimously approved the redevelopment and expansion of the beachfront entertainment. The project, estimated to cost more than $500 million, will transform the shabby events center into a luxurious mixed-use destination, with a new hotel, charitable gaming casino, and concert venue.
Developers Sal Lupoli and Fred Schaake pitched the project on the condition that a larger charitable gaming facility be allowed.
Their vision for 169 Ocean Boulevard comes as New Hampshire’s charitable gaming laws changed to allow slot-like video lottery terminals (VLTs). VLTs function quicker than historical horse racing machines, with spins completed about five seconds faster. New Hampshire’s refreshed charitable gaming law also liberalized high-stakes card game buy-ins and did away with gaming machine betting limits. Charitable casinos are additionally allowed to operate 24 hours, pending municipal approval.
Charitable gaming has occurred at the Casino Ballroom property since 2014. The roughly 8K-square-foot Aces & Eights facility, however, is considerably smaller than what is forthcoming.
Lupoli is a famed real estate and hospitality developer known for Sal’s Pizza, the Hampton Beach Casino, and Riverwalk Pavilion in Lawrence, Mass. Schaake worked his way up with the company, beginning as a bartender at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom. Schaake’s grandfather, Fred Schaake Sr., however, owned the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom until 2012, when he and his co-investors sold it to Lupoli.
Casino Ballroom Gaming
With the city’s blessing, Lupoli and Schaake will move forward in beginning construction on the years-long redevelopment.
The blueprint includes 99 luxury condominiums that will come with starting asking prices north of $1 million, a 208-room luxury hotel, almost 40K square feet of beach-facing retail shopping and restaurant space, and a 732-space parking garage. The 1,800-seat Ballroom will be replaced by a new 3,500-seat performance hall.
As for the casino, the charitable facility will more than quintuple in size to around 52,000 square feet. While Aces & Eights has fewer than 100 gaming machines and a handful of table games, the forthcoming casino will offer more than 1,000 gaming positions, or slot chairs and seats at table games.
New Hampshire’s updated gaming law mandates that casinos retain 31.25% of VLT revenue. Thirty-five percent of the gaming revenue is allocated to that day’s charitable beneficiary, and 31% goes to the state.
The New Hampshire Gaming Commission collects 2.5% for regulatory costs, and the remaining 0.25% goes to the Governor’s Commission on Addiction, Treatment, and Prevention.
Hampton Benefit
Under the 2024 charitable gaming changes, state lawmakers included provisions that allow the local governments of Hampton and Salem to receive a cut.
The law requires charitable casinos operating within Hampton and Salem to operate “a minimum of seven but not more than 10” days a year for the benefit of the town or city where the casino operates. On those select days, Hampton will receive the full 35% share of the gross gaming revenue.
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