Raynham Park’s Massachusetts Sports Betting License Hearing Delayed

• Raynham Park’s Category 2 sports betting license application hearing has been delayed by two weeks
• The Massachusetts Gaming Commission decided to delay the hearing until Aug. 18
• Concerns arose over a request by Raynham Park to withdraw Christopher Carney as an individual qualifier

A hearing for Raynham Park’s category 2 Massachusetts sports betting license has been delayed until late August after the Massachusetts Gaming Commission expressed concerns over a recent request to withdraw Christopher J. Carney as an individual qualifier.

Today’s meeting was the third hearing for Raynham Park, which met with the MGC twice in June. Raynham Park officials previously shared plans to open their brick-and-mortar sportsbook by the fall, but without a license yet in hand it’s unknown if that timeline can still be met.

The Massasoit Greyhound Association (MGA), owner of Raynham Park, asked that Carney, and a trust that included Carney, be removed as qualifiers from the track’s sports betting license application.

The reasoning for the withdrawal request was not provided publicly to the MGC.

IEB Report, Withdrawal Request Intertwined

The request for withdrawal was submitted to the MGC last week but came after the Massachusetts Investigations Enforcement Bureau (IEB) completed its suitability report for Raynham Park’s license application. IEB Director Loretta Lillios said the report and the withdrawal request should not be “considered in a vacuum,” as Carney’s presence or non-presence in the application could affect Raynham Park’s financial suitability for a license.

Despite Raynham Park’s general counsel saying Carney and his trust do not have any financial sway in the category 2 license application, members of the MGC unanimously agreed that the issues could not be “divorced” and were “integrally intertwined.”

“I don’t think the report can be divorced completely from the withdrawal request,” Commissioner Brandon Maynard said.

The MGC voted unanimously to put the hearing on hold until Aug. 18 and to address both issues at the same time.

Raynham Park Has Partnership with Caesars

Raynham Park and Caesars Sportsbook agreed to a partnership in January for a potential 30,000-square-foot retail sportsbook at the simulcast racing facility. Caesars Sportsbook Massachusetts will handle Raynham Park’s retail sports betting program contingent on the simulcast facility receiving its category 2 license.

If the license is approved by the MGC, construction will begin on a standalone 30,000-square-foot sportsbook at Raynham Park, which will be one of the largest standalone sports betting and pari-mutuel simulcasting facilities in the country.

“Caesars Sportsbook is the strongest retail sports gaming brand in the industry and we are extremely proud to announce our partnership,” said Raynham Park owner Chris Carney in the January announcement. “Our sportsbook will be one of the largest sports gaming destinations not only in Massachusetts, but in the United States. With Caesars’ legendary commitment to quality and integrity, Raynham Park will be a world-class venue that will set a new standard for gaming in Massachusetts.”