Raynham Park owner George Carney places bet on slots parlor
RAYNHAM —
Raynham Park is officially taking a chance on the state’s sole slots parlor license.
Partnered with Pennsylvania-based Greenwood Racing, which operates Parx Casino outside of Philadelphia, Raynham Park submitted an application and non-refundable $400,000 fee to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Tuesday, the last day the panel was accepting applications for gambling licenses.
Raynham Park owner George Carney has been pursuing a slots parlor for years.
“This will be a very successful project for the state of Massachusetts and the community in terms of jobs and investment and taxes it will create for the state,” Greenwood CEO Tony Ricci said. “We’re excited about the opportunity. We think with our financial strength, our experience and the Carney management team, we have a powerful combination.”
Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville is also seeking the sole Massachusetts slots license. Two other applicants filed last-minute gambling license applications Tuesday without specifying a site or whether they are seeking to build a slots parlor or a casino.
Under a 2011 law, the state can authorize up to three resort casinos and one slots parlor in Massachusetts.
“It’s anticipated that the slots parlor license will be awarded by the end of 2013, or perhaps a little sooner,” Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby said during a press conference Tuesday.
The commission, he added, plans to award casino licenses by Feb. 26, 2014.
The winning applicant for the slots license will be required to invest a minimum of $125 million and pay a $25 million license fee.
Just before the 5 p.m. deadline, PPE Casino Resorts MA, an affiliate of the Baltimore-based Cordish Co., filed an initial application and paid the fee without revealing a site location or type of license sought.
Mass. Gaming & Entertainment LLC, led by real estate and casino developer Neil Bluhm, also applied for either a casino or slots license. Bluhm has not yet revealed a proposed site.
That information, Crosby said, was not required for the first stage of the application process.
Applicants will eventually need to craft a host community agreement and pass a local referendum before getting a final green light.
Ricci said he and Carney have a goal of getting up and running quickly at Raynham Park. He estimates the first phase of a slots parlor on the Raynham property could be open within six to nine months of approval and permitting.
Carney did not return calls for comment Tuesday.
Partnered with Pennsylvania-based Greenwood Racing, which operates Parx Casino outside of Philadelphia, Raynham Park submitted an application and non-refundable $400,000 fee to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Tuesday, the last day the panel was accepting applications for gambling licenses.
Raynham Park owner George Carney has been pursuing a slots parlor for years.
“This will be a very successful project for the state of Massachusetts and the community in terms of jobs and investment and taxes it will create for the state,” Greenwood CEO Tony Ricci said. “We’re excited about the opportunity. We think with our financial strength, our experience and the Carney management team, we have a powerful combination.”
Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville is also seeking the sole Massachusetts slots license. Two other applicants filed last-minute gambling license applications Tuesday without specifying a site or whether they are seeking to build a slots parlor or a casino.
Under a 2011 law, the state can authorize up to three resort casinos and one slots parlor in Massachusetts.
“It’s anticipated that the slots parlor license will be awarded by the end of 2013, or perhaps a little sooner,” Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby said during a press conference Tuesday.
The commission, he added, plans to award casino licenses by Feb. 26, 2014.
The winning applicant for the slots license will be required to invest a minimum of $125 million and pay a $25 million license fee.
Just before the 5 p.m. deadline, PPE Casino Resorts MA, an affiliate of the Baltimore-based Cordish Co., filed an initial application and paid the fee without revealing a site location or type of license sought.
Mass. Gaming & Entertainment LLC, led by real estate and casino developer Neil Bluhm, also applied for either a casino or slots license. Bluhm has not yet revealed a proposed site.
That information, Crosby said, was not required for the first stage of the application process.
Applicants will eventually need to craft a host community agreement and pass a local referendum before getting a final green light.
Ricci said he and Carney have a goal of getting up and running quickly at Raynham Park. He estimates the first phase of a slots parlor on the Raynham property could be open within six to nine months of approval and permitting.
Carney did not return calls for comment Tuesday.
In past interviews, Carney, who runs a simulcast betting parlor at the 120-acre former greyhound track site, touted his site’s location on Route 138, close to the crossroads of Interstate 495 and Route 24. Carney has said he also hopes to benefit from the proposed South Coast Rail expansion, which could bring a train station to the area.
Plainridge Racecourse owner and CEO Gary Piontkowski says that his facility also is close to major highways: Interstates 95 and 495 and Route 1.
“Plainridge’s advantages to the Commonwealth are better and more thoroughly understood by all stakeholders compared against another location and that is what a competitive process is all about,” he said in a statement.
Read more: http://www.enterprisenews.com/entertainment/x1671800649/Carney-places-bet-on-slots-parlor#ixzz2I8ywFX9B
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