The owners of Plainridge Park Casino have expressed an interest in having live horse racing continue and said it will file to extend the current license.
The current stretch of racing at the track goes Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from April until November.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is the governing body responsible for approving the license. The community was recently invited to a Town Hall meeting and several voiced their approval of having horse racing.
“A lot of positives, a lot of people go up there, there’s a lot of shows up there,” Dale Bergervine, a Plainville resident, told WJAR.
Numerous people spoke in favor of the live racing license, including the Plainville fire and police chiefs.
“We actually intend to be good listeners today so that we can understand the community’s position with respect to the proposal,” Cathy Judd-Stein, chairwoman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission told WJAR.
One of the positives from having horse racing is the money that has been raised from taxes on the track. Several people at the meeting pointed out that the casino has been responsible for a new Town Hall and a state-of-the-art public safety complex.
Gambling in August alone accounted for $94 million, $26 million of which was paid out in taxes.
“Everyone sees the positive effects and not the negative effects to having a business like that in the town, and we’ve partnered great with the town, the fire, the police,” said Steve O’Toole, director of racing at Plainridge Park Casino.
There has been some opposition before Monday’s meeting, but no one at the Town Hall spoke in opposition of the license. Town leaders had worked with the public and said that they had eased any concerns they might have over the horse race track.
The Gaming Commission will have to make a decision on the license and the fate of live racing at Plainridge Park by November 15.
