Plainridge Park Casino was the first casino in Massachusetts to be licensed under the 2011 gaming expansion act, so it was the first to require an extension of its five year license.
The casino is a major contributor in taxes to the town of Plainridge, which used them to finance at $34 million municipal complex.
Payments to the town did not stop when the slots parlor was ordered to close in March due to the coronavirus.
Plainville Town Administrator Jennifer Thompson, who testified in favor of the license application, told the Massachusetts Gaming Commission September 17, “The company could have easily made the argument that they would not be able to honor their required monthly payments to the town. They, in fact, did the complete opposite.” She added, “Penn National reached out to us very early in the shutdown and assured us that they would still provide the town with the much-needed revenue, especially given the dire financial situation the town was in.”
She added that Penn “went the extra mile” and made the payments ahead of the scheduled timetable.
Thompson was among legislators, business people and municipal officials who testified remotely in favor of the renewal.
Another was Rep. Shawn Dooley, whose district includes Plainville. “Whenever there is a need, they step up and they’re there. They’re truly a member of the community,” he said. “It is a very, very positive environment.”
The casino opened June 24, 2015. It has generated around $777 million in gross revenue, with 49 percent or $310.8 paid in taxes and $69.9 million set aside for the horseracing industry.
No one spoke in opposition.
Commissioner Gayle Cameron remarked, “Listening to the presentation, it really does remind me that Penn National really has been a good partner. They have been charitable, they’ve been responsive to their patrons, talking about some of the changes they’ve made whether that be food preferences or higher limit slots play … they have been responsive to the needs of the commission, frankly, and I just wanted to comment that the presentation just reminds us of all of those things.” She added, “They have been good for the commonwealth, frankly.”
The renewal application included information on compliance, contracts, internal controls, operations plans and revenue. The commission asked casino executives to describe how the casino has performed compared to expectations, including benefits to the neighboring communities.
The commission’s Investigations and Enforcement Bureau has also done suitability reviews of all of the casinos executives and employees considered “qualifiers” under Bay State law.
The commission could vote on the renewal as soon as September 30.
During the hearing state Senator Paul Feeney noted that the casino competes “with one hand tied behind its back” because it is not allowed table games. He said this makes it less competitive compared to Rhode Island’s two casinos. He added that he’s looking forward to the casino being able to offer sports betting if that is ever legalized in the state.
Rep. Dooley has filed a bill that would allow the casino to add up to 30 table games and 250 slots.
