Caesars Sportsbook has terminated its relationship with Raynham Park in Massachusetts, and the track also attempted to withdraw the application of one of its principals Friday. This leaves Raynham Park with a brick-and-mortar sportsbook that is nearly built, no partner to run it, and no license to operate it at this point. Both issues were revealed at a Massachusetts Gaming Commission meeting Friday.
Raynham Park is one of two tracks in the state that is eligible to apply for a sports betting license that would allow it one retail and one digital skin. Caesars Sportsbook and Raynham Park announced a partnership for a physical sportsbook in January, but the track has not yet announced a digital partner.
Caesars Sportsbook has been live with its digital platform since March through a partnership with Encore Boston Harbor. If Caesars is still interested in establishing a retail presence, the only remaining possibility would be to partner with Suffolk Downs, the other track that could get licensed.
So far, however, Suffolk hasn’t applied, and Caesars did not respond to a Sports Handle request for comment Friday.
Meeting wasn’t pretty
Friday’s hearing was the fourth in which Raynham Park’s application was reviewed. It lasted more than seven hours, involved several hours in executive session, many interruptions, veiled accusations, and an occasional lack of decorum.
After receiving the news that Caesars had ended its partnership with Raynham Park, the commission took time to determine if it could still vote on Raynham Park’s suitability if it did not have a partner. But before getting to the suitability question, Raynham Park shared that it wanted to withdraw Chris Carney’s application as a principal. Carney was on the initial application, but he now wishes to withdraw, in part due to concerns the commission aired in previous meetings.
The commission struggled to understand how Carney, the son of track owner George Carney and a contractor whose company has worked repeatedly with the track, could disentangle himself from Raynham Park.
In Massachusetts, Raynham Park has plans to open a Caesars Sportsbook in the fall, but commission has questions about diversity, equity, and inclusion.https://t.co/TwVT7CO4Vf
— Sports Handle (@sports_handle) June 20, 2023
Much of Friday’s meeting was centered on how the commission would handle the request for withdrawal and determining preliminary suitability, which would ultimately lead to a licensing vote. There was no question that the commission and Raynham Park were at odds throughout the meeting, as Raynham Park representatives were pushing for the MGC to put the track’s preliminary suitability to a vote.
Ultimately, after new documents were shared during the meeting, commissioners decided to review that information and carry the discussion over to Monday.
MGC will still issue Barstool report
In a meeting Thursday, the MGC discussed the new PENN Entertainment-ESPN agreement in which PENN is severing ties with Barstool Sports and has plans to relaunch its Barstool Sportsbook digital platform in the late fall as ESPN BET. PENN executives say they are aiming to rebrand in November, but MGC staff shared that the ESPN deal only requires the switchover to occur by February 2024.
Commissioners were vocal in making sure they understood that PENN, which operates the Plainridge Park Casino in Massachusetts, would have full control of the ESPN BET platform. The concerns likely have their roots in issues the MGC previously had with the edgy nature of Barstool Sports and its top executive, Dave Portnoy.
During the licensing process, the MGC placed some special conditions on PENN in relation to Barstool. On Thursday, Investigative Enforcement Bureau Chief Loretta Lillios said those conditions still apply and that her department still intends to issue a report on the Barstool Sportsbook branding.
Also at that meeting, the commission heard quarterly reports from multiple casino and sports betting operators in the state. At one point during BetMGM‘s report, Commissioner Brad Hill pointedly said that he felt that some operators weren’t taking the state’s stringent responsible gambling regulations seriously enough and were doing just enough to appease the commission.
The commission offered nearly blanket “disappointment” to operators on their diversity efforts, particularly the lack of women and veterans on staff. Operators are also required to contact the state lottery to discuss synergies and cross-promotion, but most have yet to do that.
The commission on Thursday also started to resolve a lingering tax issue when it decided to tax sports betting winnings at the same rate as winnings from casino and parimutuel wagering. The issue must now be approved by the state’s Department of Revenue.
