The Caesars Sportsbook at Raynham Park will follow the same operations model as other horse racetrack Caesars Sportsbooks across the US, including New Jersey’s Monmouth Park.
That’s according to Dan Shapiro, Chief Development Officer at Caesars Digital, who spoke to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission during its open meeting Thursday. The commission did not review Raynham Park’s category 2 retail license application Thursday, but it did review the simulcast facility’s sportsbook contract with Caesars.
“This arrangement has been quite common,” Shapiro said. ” … We’ve done this successfully in many other jurisdictions.”
Shapiro also singled out the Caesars Sportsbook at Prairie Meadows in Iowa, as well as the Caesars Sportsbook at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ home arena, and various facilities in Nevada. Caesars operates 180 retail sportsbooks across the US, including 100 in Nevada.
There are currently three retail sportsbooks in Massachusetts at Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield and Plainridge Park Casino. Raynham Park would be the fourth.
Who is responsible for Raynham Park’s sportsbook?
Here’s how Raynham Park’s sportsbook will work:
- Raynham Park will lease the sports betting space to Caesars. That makes Caesars a “qualifying entity” in regards to the sports betting license application.
- Caesars will run all sportsbook operations, sportsbook services, upkeep, compliance and internal control systems, and signage and sportsbook promotions. It will also be responsible for training its own sportsbook personnel.
- Raynham Park, meanwhile, will still be responsible from a regulatory perspective for whatever Caesars does at its facility.
“We cannot contract away our licensing obligations,” said attorney Jed Nosal, who’s representing Raynham Park. ” … This really isn’t a situation where we’re tossing the keys to somebody and saying, ‘Go for it.'”
Caesars has already been approved for a category 3 online sports betting license in Massachusetts. It launched its Caesars Sportsbook Massachusetts app on March 10. A category 2 license requires the same qualifiers as a category 3 license. So Caesars has already been properly vetted to be involved in the Raynham Park sportsbook.
As soon as the MGC approves the license application, Caesars will open a temporary sportsbook within Raynham Park’s current simulcasting facility. A permanent 30,000-square-foot sportsbook is “well underway,” Nosal said.
Caesars will also offer horse betting at Raynham Park
Shapiro said Caesars will not offer parimutuel betting (horse betting) at the temporary facility. It will, however, offer parimutuel betting at the permanent facility. Both sports betting and horse betting available at the kiosks and betting windows. Both the temporary and permanent sportsbooks will be 21-and-over facilities, though, addressing concerns that 18-year-old horse bettors could place sports bets.
In order to help separate Raynham Park’s sports betting operation from the horse betting and real estate arms of its business, it created Raynham Park Sportsbook (RPS) purely for organization purposes. It’s a fully owned subsidiary of Massasoit Greyhound Association, which owns Raynham Park.
The MGC didn’t present any issues with Raynham Park’s Caesars contract. That officially clears the way for the category 2 retail sports betting license review, which will take place April 12.
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