The Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s (MGC) sports betting law says the owner of a simulcast license can also be tapped for a retail sportsbook as long as the operator will invest $7.5 million over three years. Suffolk Downs and Raynham Park qualify, according to the Boston Globe.
Another portion of the law requires simulcast betting and sports betting to occur in the same place. As a result, Suffolk will relocate its simulcasting operations from Suffolk Downs to another location within Suffolk County where they will operate a brick-and-mortar sportsbook.
A relocation requires the state MGC and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu to give the stamp of approval.
Last August, Suffolk told the commission it was negotiating with national sportsbook operators and sifting through real estate possibilities.
“Our mobile and retail licenses have attracted substantial interest from best-in-class sports book operators and brands. We have made significant progress and are moving quickly toward finalizing agreements which we will announce at the appropriate time,” said Suffolk COO Michael Buckley.
Suffolk might outshine big casinos securing the most valuable retail sports license, according to the Boston Globe.
The owners’ dream of building a casino died when Wynn Resorts won the right to build Encore. But Suffolk, in a modest way, survived through simulcasting of races taking place in other states.
All the while, the Suffolk partnership of concessionaire Joe O’Donnell, developer/horse enthusiast Richard Fields and property investor Vornado Realty Trust has kept their partnership alive in the hopes of securing a sportsbook licenses that could allow them to accept mobile bets, and to open a betting parlor in Boston.
Suffolk has long maintained that its simulcasting license could be moved to another location within Suffolk County — most likely somewhere in Boston or Revere. Then-chief operating officer Chip Tuttle told the state gaming commission in August the partnership was in talks with a number of national sportsbook companies, and also reviewing its real estate options. Six months have passed, and Sterling Suffolk has not yet announced a partner. Or a new site.
