The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) has deferred its decision on a wagering application from Raynham Park, a former greyhound track that first opened in 1940.
Father-and-son owners Chris and George Carney of the Massasoit Greyhound Association (MGA) hope to reverse the track’s decline with a $30 million buildout that will add a Caesars Entertainment sportsbook. The Boston Globe described the proposed 30,000-square foot facility as “a sports bar with fine dining on steroids.”
Raynham Park now operates as a simulcasting parlor.
The commission’s holdup has been attributed to a move by the MGA to remove Chris Carney and a Carney family trust as qualifiers on the track’s application for a Category 2 license. No reason was given for the request, and though it was filed in July, after the Massachusetts Investigations Enforcement Bureau (IEB) completed its suitability report, commissioners agreed to defer their decision so enforcers could gather new information.
IEB Director Loretta Lillios said the report and the request can’t be “considered in a vacuum,” as Carney’s involvement could affect the project’s financial suitability. Members of the MGC unanimously agreed that the factors are “integrally intertwined.”
“I don’t think the report can be divorced completely from the withdrawal request,” Commissioner Brandon Maynard said.
August 1 marked the one-year anniversary of the legalization of digital and retail sports betting in Massachusetts.
