The retail Caesars Sportsbook at Raynham Park will begin its path to approval on March 28.
That’s when the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is set to discuss the two operators’ joint retail sports betting license application, MGC spokesperson Thomas Mills told PlayMA via email. The full March 28 meeting agenda has not been released yet.
Raynham Park submitted its Category 1 license application two months ago. However, getting MA online sports betting launched has been top priority for the MGC. So it’s just now getting to this joint venture between Raynham Park and Caesars.
Caesars Sportsbook at Raynham Park details
The Caesars Sportsbook Massachusetts at Raynham Park would be the fourth retail sportsbook in Massachusetts. The other three are at the state’s three casinos — Encore Boston Harbor (WynnBET), MGM Springfield (BetMGM) and Plainridge Park Casino (Barstool Sportsbook). State law allows for one more retail sportsbook at Suffolk Downs.
Raynham Park, about 30 miles south of Boston, is one of two licensed horse betting simulcast facilities in Massachusetts. (Suffolk Downs is the other.) Raynham Park hosted greyhound racing until 2009, when the state banned that sport. Since then, it has been Raynham Park Simulcast Center.
The proposed Caesars Sportsbook at Raynham Park would be massive. It would be a standalone space, about 30,000 square feet, with a capacity of 2,000 people. It would cost $28 million, featuring a restaurant, two bars, 800 seats and 20 betting kiosks.
Owners hope the permanent sportsbook would be completed by June. Until then, Caesars would open a temporary sportsbook inside the simulcast facility by the spring.
“Raynham Park is in an excellent location in southeast Massachusetts and will be one of just a few retail sports betting locations in the commonwealth,” said Eric Hession, president of Caesars Digital, when the partnership was announced. “It’s great to partner with the Carney family, which has a long history in the community and an exciting vision for a tremendous sports entertainment and pari-mutuel simulcasting facility.”
Will the MGC approve the application?
When discussing when to review Raynham Park’s Category 1 application, MGC commissioners mentioned how this application review could be different from the casino applications because Raynham Park and Caesars treated this more like a joint application — whereas the casinos and their sportsbook operators are owned by the same company.
Still, there’s no reason the MGC won’t approve the application. Although it expressed concerns with other operators during its previous license application reviews, every single operator ultimately received approval.
Caesars launched its app in Massachusetts on March 10.
Moving forward, Suffolk Downs still hasn’t revealed its retail sports betting partner. It was speculated it may BetRivers. But BetRivers decided not to apply in Massachusetts.
Raynham Park can also partner with an operator to offer online sports betting. It hasn’t yet selected an operator.
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