Charitable Gaming Property Proposed for Lebanon, New Hampshire’s Miracle Mile

A former auto dealership that has been situated on the Miracle Mile becomes a charitable gaming casino and restaurant. The developer will do some reconstruction on the property, which will lead to the amazing new casino building. 

The story of the property:

A Connecticut-based auto dealer, Jonathan Gengras, partnered with casino gaming developer Stefan Huba, is waiting for approval from the Lebanon Planning Board. 

The partners would like to build a restaurant that will consist of 41 seats. There will also be a bar and gaming center that will be situated at 369 Miracle Mile. The location is between an auto parts store and a motorcycle dealership.

“Charitable gambling” is a category that is regulated by New Hampshire law. Non-profit organizations will benefit from this deal since 35% of all earnings will be donated to charity organizations. By law, poker, bingo, lottery, keno, raffles, and other casino games can be included, including roulette, blackjack, and electronic slot machines. 

The New Hampshire Lottery Commission will be the one that chooses who will get the funding. Charitable groups that want to get the funding need to submit the request. Also, they need to be registered for at least two years in the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s Office and N.H. Charitable Trust Division of the Attorney General’s office.

On the Lottery Commission website, charitable organizations that are already registered are listed. Currently, the list consists of over 12.000 different organizations.

According to a city-submitted description, it opened at 45 Hanover Street four years ago. It provides roulette and blackjack tables and 34 slot machines, in addition to poker. 

The plans for the property:

The Miracle Mile project application suggests that the plan would reconfigure the standing building with additional 17.335 square feet of first-floor space plus a mezzanine of 1,3600-foot space. 

The dealership had been occupied by Gerrish Honda before this deal, and it has been owned by Kurt Gerrish, an Upper Valley auto dealer. In 2016, the dealership was sold to Gengras Motors, owned by Gengras and E. Clayton, his brother. The company has been renamed, with the new name Gengras motors, and has been relocated in July 2020, with the placement at White River Junction.

The leasing to Huba will result from the project application, which will make Gengras retain the ownership of the property – but no one has officially commented on it so far.  

The application is supposed to be reviewed on Monday, and at that meeting, the date of the public hearing will be determined. Also, the official visit to the property will be scheduled.