September 23, 2024
Boston Business Journal recently published an article featuring Jay Zagorsky, Clinical Associate Professor of Markets, Public Policy, and Law, discussing how a former Lord & Taylor department store in Salem, New Hampshire, is set to be transformed into a casino, called Live! Casino Salem, as part of a $160 million project at the Rockingham Park mall.
This casino joins other recent non-retail conversions in the region, including another planned casino in Nashua, which will take over a former Sears store. Experts anticipate that these new casinos may negatively impact Massachusetts’s existing gaming industry, including Encore Boston Harbor, which has already shown minimal revenue growth since pandemic restrictions eased.
“There are some gamblers who just care about convenience, but others want something that’s more of a destination,” Zagorsky adds.
With the possibility of New Hampshire sites attracting visitors looking for convenient gaming options, Encore may need to adopt a more upscale approach to stand out.
