Developer Cherry Hill Towne Center Partners has said in a court filing that it’s close to a deal with a company to operate a sportsbook at the former Garden State Park site in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. But the former operators of the track are trying to block the opening of a sportsbook at the site.
The defendants, including Greenwood Racing, operator of the Parx casino north of Philadelphia, say that a 1999 document permanently forbids any wagering activity on the site other than by Garden State Park Racing and its affiliates or successors. Greenwood has asked a judge for a preliminary injunction against the developer. A ruling could come in the next two months.
The fight began after New Jersey passed a sports betting law in 2018 that allowed sportsbooks at racetracks, including two that are closed—Garden State Park and Atlantic City Racecourse.
Garden State Park hasn’t seen racing since 2001. Since then, Cherry Hill Towne Center Partners has developed part of the area as a mixed-use residential and retail center. The company sued last year for the right to open a sportsbook on the site of the former racetrack’s oval.
According to the Associated Press, the developer wrote in a court brief that it “expects to select one of the potential sports wagering operators shortly” and has begun to build a facility to hold a sportsbook.
The company claims the dispute over the 1999 document can’t stop it from applying for a sports betting license with the state and also noted that one of its controlling members, Jack Morris, also is an owner of the Hard Rock Atlantic City casino and is in good standing with state casino regulators, the AP report said.
