Caesars Sportsbook pulled out of a deal to run a retail sportsbook at Raynham Park just as regulators were in the process of reviewing the race track’s bid for a sports betting license, regulators said.
Caesars Sportsbook notified the Massachusetts Gaming Commission it has terminated an agreement with the Massasoit Greyhound Association, the company behind Raynham Park, to open a retail location at the former greyhound track, Gaming Commission Interim Executive Director Todd Grossman said.
“Caesars Sportsbook has terminated the operating lease agreement that was in place between MGA and Caesars,” Grossman said. “That agreement set out the terms and conditions under which Caesars would essentially operate the sportsbook if MGA were to be awarded the category two license. As a result of that termination, as of today, MGA is without an entity to operate the sportsbook.”
Caesars sportsbook already runs a mobile sports betting application through an agreement with Encore Boston Harbor, the casino in Everett owned by Wynn Resorts.
Bet365, another sportsbook, announced earlier this year that it dropped a bid to offer mobile sports betting through a license tethered to Raynham Park.
Chris Carney, the owner of Raynham Park, said in January that Caesars Sportsbook was the “strongest retail sports gaming brand in the industry” as he announced a plan to open one of the largest physical sports betting spaces in the country.
The space was billed as a 60,000 square-foot sportsbook that would include more than 30,000 square-feet of gaming space, two restaurants, several bars, private function rooms, and room for up to 2,000 patrons.
“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,” Caesars Digital President Eric Hession said in a statement earlier this year.
But the Gaming Commission was told in an open meeting Friday that several violations cited by the state Department of Environmental Protection concerning the handling and disposal of hazardous and/or construction-related materials were committed by companies operated by the Carney family, Bookies.com reported.
A Raynham Park manager could not comment on the gaming board’s proceedings. Chris Carney could not be immediately reached for a comment.
