Charitable gaming expansion approved at Hampton beach casino

HAMPTON, N.H. —

The Hampton Zoning Board of Adjustment voted 4-1 on Thursday to approve the expansion of the charitable gaming room at the Aces and Eights Casino on Hampton Beach.

Charitable gaming currently operates on the building’s first floor, but with a so called “special exception” granted by the board, project developers will be allowed to more than double the space.

The gaming area will grow from about 8,000 square feet to 31,000 square feet as part of the casino renovation.

Developers and some board members said the expansion will ultimately benefit the charities that partner with the casino.

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However, board chairwoman Erica De Vries argued the project would not be beneficial for the community, their public health or safety.

People have gambling problems, and when you increase something from small kind of a quaint gambling facility to something that is three times as large, it is going to attract different clientele,” De Vries said. “I’m less concerned with the welfare of how much elbow room someone has at the casino than I am concerned about the negative impacts associated with and I don’t mean infrastructure impacts or having a four time as large casino as what we have now.”

Despite her concerns, De Vries said the proposal and ideas for design and access did meet the town regulations.

As part of the approval, developers must give charities local to Hampton and other surrounding towns like Exeter and Seabrook priority at the casino.

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