New Hampshire: Keene and Wonder casinos merge to become one

The co-owners of the former Keene Casino in New Hampshire are betting on a second venue in the city. Dick Anagnost, president of Anagnost Investments in Manchester, confirmed the business has acquired Wonder Casino from Emerald Gaming, with the intention to merge the two businesses into a single casino.

While Anagnost declined to reveal how much the company paid to acquire Wonder Casino, he did confirm to The Keene Sentinel that the sale closed on June 6, after negotiations started in April. He said they pitched the sale proposal after the property owner of the Keene Casino site decided to pursue converting it into residential units.

Keene Casino relocated to a standalone building at what was then the Colony Mill Marketplace in 2016. Most of the rest of the marketplace property, owned by Manchester-based developer Brady Sullivan Properties, has since been converted to apartments. Meanwhile, Wonder Casino opened in January 2021.

"We just approached Jared’s group and said that we’d need to move anyway and were going to have a bigger space, so we asked if they’d consider selling because they were already in place," Anagnost said, as reported by the Keene Sentinel. "We were able to reach a mutual agreement, and everybody came away happy."

Former Keene Casino in New Hampshire

Wonder Casino will retain its existing name and operating hours, from noon to 1 a.m. seven days a week, Anagnost said, and some machines and equipment from the former Keene Casino have been moved into Wonder.

"We’re using … about 90% of Wonder’s and 10 percent of Keene’s [equipment]," he added. "The rest of it has been put in a storage trailer and brought back here in Manchester to our warehouse lot."

Anagnost said the two businesses had similar operating procedures, making it an "easy transition for both parties." He added that all staff at both casinos have remained on board and are now working at Wonder Casino.

Wonder Casinos describes itself as Keene's "only luxury casino." The card room's gaming space features thirteen tables and poker games. It is located at 172 Emerald Street in Keene, across from center.