Raynham Park‘s Category 2 sports betting license application to have a retail Caesars Sportsbook at its property will begin on June 12. That’s according to Massachusetts Gaming Commission Executive Director Karen Wells, who confirmed that date with commissioners in Thursday’s meeting.
Commissioners will go visit the site of the in-progress sportsbook on June 9 and June 10. They’ll then begin the public review process during the June 12 meeting to decide if the retail venue can join the Massachusetts sports betting market.
“We’re good to at least start that review on the 12th,” Wells said.
Finally, Raynham Park can get in on the action
This marks the end of a lengthy series of delays for Raynham Park in its attempt to get approved to operate a retail Caesars Sportsbook Massachusetts. The MGC was originally slated to review the license application in late March. Then that got delayed to April 12. Then that didn’t happen.
Now, things are slated to get going two months later.
Raynham Park is one of two horse racing simulcast facilities in Massachusetts eligible to have retail sportsbooks and partner with online operators for sportsbook apps. Suffolk Downs is the other. Neither has made an online partnership, and Raynham Park is the only one to make a retail partnership.
Dan Shapiro, Chief Development Officer at Caesars Digital, told the MGC during a March meeting that the Caesars Sportsbook at Raynham Park will operate much the same as their brick-and-mortar venues at other racetracks in the US, including New Jersey’s Monmouth Park.
When will Caesars at Raynham Park open?
During that same meeting, Jed Nosal, an attorney representing Raynham Park, said construction of the permanent 30,000 square foot sportsbook was “well underway.” Raynham will open a temporary sportsbook as soon as its license is approved.
The commission has already reviewed the contract between Rayham Park and Caesars. RSM and Gaming Lab International have also already looked over Raynham’s interview controls submission. In other words … things should be smooth sailing for Raynham and Caesars on June 12.
Caesars will also offer horse betting at Raynham Park when the permanent facility opens. The legal age limit for Massachusetts horse betting is 18, but Caesars will only allow 21-plus bettors for both sports betting and horse betting at its Raynham Park sportsbook.
