Commission: Raynham Park simulcast at risk if Suffolk Downs fees remain unpaid

Tuesday

Posted Oct 18, 2016

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted last week to require Raynham Park, which belongs to Brockton Fairgrounds owner George Carney, to pay around $300,000 within 30 days or face the suspension or revocation of its license that allows for simulcast race betting.

By Marc Larocque
Enterprise Staff Writer

RAYNHAM – Raynham Park, a former dog track that continues to operate as a racing simulcast center, is being ordered to fork over more than $300,000 in fees, which Suffolk Downs has long claimed it is owed as part of an off-track betting arrangement that was established by state law.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted 3-2 last week to require Raynham Park, which belongs to Brockton Fairgrounds owner George Carney, to pay the money within 30 days or face the suspension or revocation of its license that allows for simulcast race betting. The two dissenting commissioners said they agreed with a motion to enforce the payment, but wanted to give Raynham Park more time.

Simulcast betting has been the main attraction at Raynham Park, located on Route 138 near the border with Easton, since greyhound racing was banned throughout the state following a ballot referendum that was held in 2008 and enacted in 2010.

The five-member commission was unanimous that it had the authority to make a determination that Raynham Park must pay the 3 percent of its intrastate simulcast revenues to Suffolk Downs for the the time period in question, which was from October 2014 and June 2015. After that time span, the state legislature suspended the fee obligation following the opening of the Plainridge Park Casino.

Lawyers for Raynham Park argued that that Suffolk Downs was not an active horse racing licensee during that period of time, and that the issue should be resolved in court, instead of by the state commission. Patrick Dinardo, representing Raynham Park, said that, in its petition to the state gaming commission, Suffolk Downs never mentioned that 90 percent of those fees would go to the New England Horsemen’s Association, which has a purse agreement with the Boston facility.

“Suffolk Downs is trying to collect these premiums for its benefit, when the statute says that these premiums are supposed to be paid into purses,” Dinardo told the commission during a meeting held in Boston on Thursday. “The point of the premiums was to augment the purses. If you’re not having a racing operation, then there is no purses. From the period in question, October 2014 through June 2015, there were no races at Suffolk Downs, and therefore no purses. ... The New England Horsemen is the real party of interest here.”

Dinardo said if the matter is settled in court, it would be better because all of the facts about the simulcast arrangement would come out through the evidence discovery process.

“If Suffolk Downs wants to bring an action in Superior Court for declaratory relief, and they think they have an entitlement to this premium, we can address that issue in the court, where it's a question of interpreting the statutory scheme,” Dinardo said.

The lawyers for Raynham Park also argued that the adjudicatory guidelines for the Massachusetts Gaming Commission do not contemplate such an enforcement action by the commission.

“Ultimately, it will end up in Superior Court, one way or the other,” Dinardo said.

Catherine Blue, general counsel for the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, said that the issue is within the commission’s jurisdiction under the state’s horse racing law, and that the commission could hold a hearing to suspend or revoke Raynham Park’s license if it doesn’t pay the bill.

Reached on Tuesday afternoon, Carney, the owner of Raynham Park, said that Suffolk Downs didn’t apply for a racing license in 2014, and for that reason he believes it isn’t entitled to the simulcast premiums.

“I didn't feel we owed them money,” Carney said. “That's my position.”

Carney said that he and his lawyers are now still deciding whether to take the matter to court themselves.

Commissioner Enrique Zuniga said that he doesn’t buy Raynham Park’s argument.

“The heart of the matter is whether the obligation was there,” Zuniga said. “That's the part I'm not persuaded at all on, the claims from Raynham.”

The following is a video of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission meeting on October 13. The discussion on the Raynhan Park simulcast fees begins at 1:24:30.

http://www.enterprisenews.com/news/20161018/commission-raynham-park-simulcast-at-risk-if-suffolk-downs-fees-remain-unpaid

Thanks to Plainville' Plainridge casino, horse racing may come to Brockton

Horses warm up before the start of the first race of the 2016 

season at Plainridge. (File photo by Mark Stockwell)

Posted: Thursday, May 5, 2016

Thoroughbred horse racing is poised to return to the Brockton Fairgrounds this summer, after Massachusetts regulators rejected a bid to build a casino on the property.

And it's all due to Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville.

Fairgrounds owner George Carney says the demise of a $677 million resort casino plan by Chicago's Rush Street Gaming hasn't stopped him from moving ahead with improvements to the fairground's track, which hasn't hosted a horse race since 2001.

"I never thought about losing, I always thought about winning," Carney told the Associated Press, referring to the state gambling license the casino project failed to acquire. "But these things happen. So 'Plan B' is to bring back horse racing, at least this year."

Race organizers had already received state licenses to run a total of 30 race days on the site this year in anticipation that they would have time to schedule races, at least until the casino project began in earnest.

Now, they're expected to seek about $5 million from the state's horse racing fund to help boost purses and make this year's races more attractive to breeders.

The state's Race Horse Development Fund collects a percentage of all gambling revenues from the state's casinos and designates it to the racing industry.

To date, it has more than $11 million on hand, after raising nearly $21 million in taxes and fees from casino companies and paying out about $9.4 million to the horse racing industry, according to a report from the state Gaming Commission, which oversees the fund.

Most of those funds come from Plainridge, which opened last June and would have been a competitor with a Brockton casino for gambling revenue.

Nine percent of the revenue from the slot machines at Plainridge goes into a horse racing fund. Twenty-five percent of that goes back to racing at Plainridge with the rest in the state racing fund.

William Lagorio, president of the Massachusetts Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, which is organizing the Brockton races, says the competitions are needed to keep the long-flagging industry going until a long term plan can be realized.

Other industry leaders are trying to establish a new racing and equine training facility somewhere in the state after New England's lone remaining thoroughbred track, Boston's Suffolk Downs, stopped offering a full season of races in 2014.

"The horse park is a wonderful idea, but we have hundreds of horsemen and farmers who are starving," Lagorio said earlier this week. "They got put out to pasture. These races in Brockton will be an infusion of capital."

The Brockton proposal is one of at least three seeking support from the state horse racing fund this year.

Plainridge Park, a slots parlor and harness racing track in Plainville, is planning about 115 days of races, but race organizers say it hasn't been determined how much in racing subsidies that will require.

And Suffolk Downs is planning six days of racing spread over July, August and September, following the success of last year's special three-day racing series.

Chip Tuttle, the track's chief operating officer, says organizers will be seeking about $2.6 million. Most of the money, as required under state law, will go toward race purses.

But Suffolk Downs' owners haven't committed to offering races long-term. Tuttle says they're still seeking other development opportunities for the prime slice of real estate.

For his part, Carney holds no grudge against gambling regulators for dashing his hopes for a casino on the property, which his family has owned for about 60 years.

"When one door closes, another one opens," he said.

http://www.thesunchronicle.com/devices/news/local_news/thanks-to-plainville-plainridge-casino-horse-racing-may-come-to/article_69f0ae56-93fe-58e3-80ae-08f4b8365fb4.html

Gaming lawsuit about 'fairness of law' Raynham Park owner George Carney says

Taunton Gazette File Photo | Rory Schuler |

George Carney owner of Raynham Park.

By Joseph Markman
The Enterprise
Gerry Tuoti
Wicked Local Newsbank Editor
Posted May. 15, 2014



RAYNHAM — George Carney says the lawsuit he filed last week to block Penn National Gaming from opening its planned gambling facility in Plainville is not about sour grapes.

“I don’t file frivolous lawsuits,” Carney said. “I thought long and hard before I filed the suit because I realize I have to deal with the Gaming Commission on a daily basis.”

Dog racing, once a major draw at Raynham Park, was banned by voters in 2010. Since then the park has remained open largely by way of revenue from simulcast racing, in which guests bet on dog and horse races happening in other states.

Carney said he has not heard from the commission since filing suit, and said he is not concerned about angering regulators with his lawsuit.

“I am strong enough to handle and conduct a good operation here,” he said.

The lawsuit, filed last Friday, calls for the state’s Supreme Judicial Court to revoke the slots license issued to Penn National. The commission awarded the slots license to Penn National in March on a 3-2 vote, with Carney’s Raynham Park getting no votes.

Carney claims that Ourway Realty, the disqualified former owner of Plainridge Racecourse, will continue to profit once the slots parlor opens in 2015.

The Gaming Commission banned Ourway from seeking a license last summer after state investigators accused Plainridge president Gary Piontkowski of pocketing more than $1 million from the track’s cash room over a 10-year period.

The lawsuit claims an agreement between Ourway and Springfield Gaming will provide Piontkowski a percentage of the gambling operation’s earnings “in perpetuity.”

“If you were disqualified on a Monday, they shouldn’t put you back in on Tuesday,” Carney said. “You’re either in or you’re out.”

Spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said Thursday that the commission has been formally notified of the lawsuit, but that she could not comment on pending litigation beyond saying that the commission’s attorneys are reviewing the matter.

Penn National, which operates casinos and slots parlors in several states, plans to open the $225 million Plainridge Park Casino by next spring.

Eric Schippers, a spokesman for Penn National, said in a statement earlier this week that Carney’s claims are “legally and factually deficient.”

“Given that the Carney proposal did not garner even a single vote, I’m not sure what they’re ultimately trying to accomplish,” Schippers said.

Carney said that if Penn’s license is rescinded he hopes to be back in the running, but could not say for certain.

“That I couldn’t give you the answer to,” Carney said. “Whether I’m chosen or not chosen again, that’s not the issue.”

Gerry Tuoti is the Regional Newsbank Editor for GateHouse Media New England. Email him at gtuoti@tauntongazette.com or call him at 508-967-3137.

http://www.tauntongazette.com/article/20140515/NEWS/140517224/11155/NEWS

Raynham Park owner sues Gaming Commission to block Plainridge slots

 

After falling short in his application for the state's lone slots parlor license, Raynham Park owner George Carney has sued the state Gaming Commission in an effort to block Penn National Gaming from opening its planned gambling facility in Plainville.

Taunton Gazette photo | Mike GayGeorge Carney listens to testimony at a hearing in Raynham.


Gerry Tuoti
Wicked Local Newsbank Editor
Posted May. 12, 2014

RAYNHAM — After falling short in his application for the state’s lone slots parlor license, Raynham Park owner George Carney has sued the state Gaming Commission in an effort to block Penn National Gaming from opening its planned gambling facility in Plainville.

The lawsuit, which was filed late Friday, calls for the state’s Supreme Judicial Court to revoke the slots license the commission issued in February to Penn National. Carney claims that Ourway Realty, the disqualified former owner of Plainridge Racecourse, will continue to profit once the slots parlor opens in 2015.

Penn National said the lawsuit’s claims lack merit.

The Gaming Commission banned Ourway from seeking a license last summer after state investigators accused Plainridge president Gary Piontkowski of pocketing more than $1 million from the track’s cash room over a 10-year period.

Plainridge got back in the running after Springfield Gaming, a subsidiary of Penn National, struck a deal to buy the harness track from Ourway, then filed a new application. The commission awarded the slots license to Penn National in March on a 3-2 vote, with Raynham Park getting no votes.

Carney’s lawsuit, however, claims the license was issued “in violation” of state law and that the purchase agreement between Ourway and Springfield Gaming calls for the disqualified former track owner to receive a percentage of the gambling operation’s earning “in perpetuity.”

“Springfield Gaming’s failure to disclose Ourway’s interests, the nature of such interests and the names and addresses of all members of Ourway on its application rendered its application false and misleading…” the lawsuit states.

A Gaming Commission spokeswoman said Monday that the panel had not yet been served with the lawsuit and was unable to comment.

Springfield Gaming and Ourway are also listed as defendants.

“Their claims are legally and factually deficient,” Eric Schippers, Penn National’s senior vice president of public affairs, said in a statement. “The Gaming Commission did a thorough and transparent job evaluating the applications and acted appropriately. Given that the Carney proposal did not garner even a single vote, I'm not sure what they're ultimately trying to accomplish.”

Carney and his attorney, Matthew Kozol, did not return calls for comment.

Penn National, which operates casinos and slots parlors in several states, plans to open the $225 million Plainridge Park Casino by spring 2015. The facility is expected to feature 1,250 slot machines, restaurants and entertainment space integrated with the existing harness racing track.

When the Gaming Commission reviewed the applications and evaluation criteria during hearings in February, Raynham’s odds of landing the license grew longer as commissioners lauded the Penn National and Cordish Cos. proposals.

http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140512/NEWS/140519146/1994/NEWS

Defining Predatory Gambling!

Why should Crosby resign?

From Day One, Crosby has defined ALL that is wrong with Predatory Gambling, the lack of ETHICS, failing to disclose his business relationship, appointing Stan McGee, the extravagant spending, poor judgment on numerous issues, calling statutory mandates 'technicalities,' and much else.

The Stench permeates everything!

The solution?

REPEAL THE CASINO DEAL!

Candidates for governor want gambling panel chair to resign

By Andrea Estes

| Globe Staff May 11, 2014

David L Ryan/Globe Staff/File

Stephen P. Crosby has come under fire for past actions — including a recent appearance at a private party at Suffolk Downs, a potential casino location.


Five candidates for governor Saturday called on Massachusetts gambling commission chairman Stephen P. Crosby to step down from the panel, just days after he withdrew from deliberations on the Greater Boston casino license amid allegations of bias.

Democrats Steve Grossman, Martha Coakley, and Juliette Kayyem, Republican Charlie Baker, and Independent Evan Falchuk all said Crosby should resign to allow the awarding of the license to move forward without controversy.

 

Crosby removed himself from the Boston license decision on Thursday, saying that his past actions — including his recent appearance at a private party at Suffolk Downs, a potential casino location — had threatened the panel’s appearance of impartiality. He said he would remain in the job to work on other matters — including the awarding of casino licenses in other regions.

Related

• More coverage: Casino gambling in Mass.

Without Crosby on the five-member commission, Grossman and Baker said they feared the possibility of a deadlocked 2-2 vote.

“When the chairman, who is the voice and the face of the gaming commission, cannot play the critical leadership role he needs to play every day, it undermines the commission’s ability to do its job,” said Grossman, the state treasurer and one of five Democratic candidates. “The commission needs five full time members who are not constrained in any way.”

In statements, the candidates said Saturday that Crosby hadn’t gone far enough in recusing himself.
“Boston is contentious,” said Baker, one of the Republicans running for governor. “The possibility of a 2-2 tie is certainly real. I’ve known Steve for years. He’s a good man, and he’s always been willing to step up and serve the public. But we have a math problem here. They have no provision that I’m aware of to break a tie. It’s obviously important that this one be as clean as possible.”

 

Coakley said Crosby had “left us without a fully functioning gaming commission. I believe it is critical that we have a fully functioning commission in order to move ahead with the gaming process, and most importantly to get it right. Therefore, he should resign and allow for a replacement to fill that role immediately.’’

Jesse Mermell, a spokeswoman for Governor Deval Patrick, said in a statement Saturday that the governor “continues to believe that the Chairman’s recusal should allow the focus to shift back to the work the Commission is doing to implement the gaming law.”

After Crosby stepped away, gambling commissioner James McHugh took over as chairman when it considers the Boston license. On Saturday, McHugh issued a statement expressing “continued and complete confidence in Steve Crosby’s integrity and ability to lead the commission. The [Greater Boston] license, though important, is just one of many issues before the commission and Crosby’s leadership and energy continue to be of great value to the commission and to the public on the multitude of other matters.”

He also predicted the “extraordinarily cohesive” commission will have no difficulty making decisions without Crosby.

The Crosby controversy is the latest hurdle in the state’s efforts to legalize casino gambling. The commission — which had hoped to issue two licenses by this spring — has faced lawsuits, conflict of interest allegations and a possible ballot initiative that would repeal the casino law. A casino proposal in Springfield by MGM is the only contender for the Western Massachusetts resort casino license, and Wynn Resorts and Mohegan Sun are competing for the sole Boston area license.

Crosby, the former dean of the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at UMass Boston, was named to the post by Patrick in December of 2011. He served as Governor Jane Swift’s chief of staff and was secretary of administration and finance in the Cellucci and Swift administrations.

But the candidates were lining up against his continued presence on the commission Saturday.

Kayyem, another of the Democrats seeking to succeed Patrick, said the commission “must be held to the highest of standards. The recent actions of Commissioner Crosby call into question the objectivity of the gaming commission, which is why I believe he needs to step aside.”

Falchuk said participants in the regulation of gambling must be “above approach.”

“Voters have to have confidence that this kind of regulation is independent and appropriate without any appearance of impropriety,” he said.

Democrat candidate Donald Berwick and Independent Jeff McCormick said Crosby’s recusal — not a resignation — was the appropriate action.

“Having Crosby step down would set back the process,” said McCormick’s spokesman, Pete Wilson.

“He also thinks it was bad judgment to go to Suffolk Downs’ opening day.”

Patrick, Grossman, and Coakley each have one appointee on the gambling commission. Under state law, the three elected officials jointly appoint the other two commissioners.

Crosby’s action came days after the Globe reported that Crosby and his wife and friends had attended a private party — with an open bar and lavish buffet — at the East Boston racetrack, which has a deal to lease its property in Revere to Mohegan Sun for a casino.

Crosby defended his attendance as a show of support for the racing industry, which the gambling commission also regulates. But that event capped months of criticism by the city of Boston and some license applicants, who accused him of bias in favor of the Wynn Resorts project in Everett. Caesars Entertainment sued Crosby and others last fall, alleging he was biased because he had once been in business with a co-owner of the land where Wynn wants to build the casino.

Crosby has denied the allegations, saying he had never discussed the land with his friend and former partner, Paul Lohnes.

Meanwhile, the gambling commission was sued again on Friday — this time by one of the unsuccessful applicants for a slot parlor license. Raynham Park owner George Carney asked the Supreme Judicial Court to revoke the license awarded to Penn National Gaming for a slot machine parlor at Plainridge Racecourse.

Carney argued that under the terms of the sales agreement signed when Penn National bought the track from Ourway Realty, the seller will continue to make money after the slots parlor opens next year.

The gambling commission found Ourway Realty unsuitable to hold a license.

Under the state’s new gambling law, the suit says, the commission cannot issue a license to an applicant if anyone who benefits from the gambling business has been found unqualified.

“The gaming commission determined, back when this was an issue, to disqualify Ourway,” said Carney. “Yet Ourway is going to participate from a financial point of view. I think it’s a flagrant violation of what the commission has tried to do since day one.”

Penn National’s $225 million proposal won approval by the commission in a 3-2 vote in February. Carney’s proposal received no votes.

Last summer, state investigators found that president of the Plainridge team, Gary Piontkowski, had taken more than $1 million from the track’s money room and Ourway Realty was banned from the slots competition. The lawsuit says that under the terms of the agreement between Ourway and Penn National, Ourway will continue to receive payments each fiscal quarter “in perpetuity” based on a percentage of Penn National’s earnings.


ATTORNEY GENERAL MARTHA COAKLEY FAILED TO INVESTIGATE THIS MATTER!

THE GAMBLING COMMISSION KNEW ABOUT STICKY FINGERS PIONTKOSWKI, ALLOWED THE TOWN OF PLAINVILLE TO NEGOTIATE IN BAD FAITH BEFORE MAKING THE MATTER PUBLIC SHORTLY BEFORE THE TOWN-WIDE VOTE.

ATTORNEY GENERAL REFUSED TO PUT ANYTHING IN WRITING ABOUT THE ILLEGAL RAFFLE CONDUCTED BY PLAINRIDGE FOR YEARS.

The commission declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying its officials hadn’t yet seen it.


http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/05/10/candidates-for-governor-call-gambling-commission-chairman-resign/UrBKwEPs6jhWcSgAa2K9LM/story.html?s_campaign=email_BG_TodaysHeadline

Gam[bl]ing Commission to award Slot Barn License next week

It's time to REPEAL THE CASINO DEAL!

Slot parlor license to be awarded next week

 

By Steve DeCosta

sdecosta@s-t.com

February 22, 2014

 

The state's five gaming commissioners will have their noses to the grindstone next week, with a marathon series of meetings in advance of Friday's award of the state's lone slot parlor license.

 

The license will also be the first gaming license to be issued in Massachusetts.

 

In meetings on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the commissioners will report on the results of their comprehensive evaluation of three applicants, one each in Raynham, Plainville and Leominister.

 

Each commissioner has taken the lead on overseeing a group of advisers and industry experts to evaluate each gaming proposal in key categories: overview of project, finance, economic development, building and site design and mitigation.

 

 

 

"This is truly the culmination of an incredible amount of hard work put forth by the commissioners, commission staff and the dedicated members of the five evaluation teams," chairman Stephen Crosby said on the commission's blog.

 

Crosby said that as a result of a "highly competitive process, the commission has had the difficult and exciting task of evaluating absolute first-rate proposals."

 

He said the commission is "eager to take this final step in bringing to bear the thousands of jobs and revenue benefits that await the citizens of the Commonwealth."

 

The applicants are:

 

Raynham Park, a partnership between Greenwood Racing Inc. and George Carney, owner of the former greyhound race track, to develop and operate a $220 million slots facility on 125 acres near both Route 495 and Route 24 in Raynham.

 

Penn National of Wyomissing, Penn., which has partnered with Plainridge Racecourse for a $225 million slots parlor near Routes 495 and 1 that the developers said would save harness racing in Masschusetts.

 

 

 

Cordish Companies of Baltimore, which hopes to develop the $200 million Massachusetts Live! Casino off I-190 and Route 117 in Leominister.

 

Each meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. A live stream will be available on the MassGaming website and live meeting updates will be provided by the commission on Twitter, @MassGamingComm.

 

In addition, the Gaming Commission will meet at 1:30 p.m. Monday to discuss surrounding community designations for Eastern Massachusetts and recent correspondence from the City of Boston relating to resort-casino applications in Everett and Revere.

 

The first resort casino licenses — in Greater Boston and Western Massachusetts — are scheduled to be awarded by May. A license for Southeastern Massachusetts will not be awarded until November.

 

 

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140222/NEWS/402220338/-1/news

 

 

BUDGET BREAKDOWN: Capital investment in the Parx Casino proposal

BUDGET BREAKDOWN: Capital investment in the Parx Casino proposal

By Marc Larocque

Taunton Gazette Staff Reporter

Posted Oct 28, 2013

TAUNTON —

$277.3 million: The total capital investment in the Parx Casino plan in Raynham.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission last week publicly released application documents from the three developers vying for the single slots parlor license in Massachusetts. Raynham Park LLC, a partnership between Raynham Park owner George Carney and Pennsylvania-based Greenwood Racing, hopes to win the license to build a slots parlor at the former dog track in Raynham. While application documents marked “confidential” were not made public, the 236-page application provides a basic breakdown of the proposal’s finances.

$45 million: Equity contributed by Greenwood Racing.
$11 million: Equity contributed by Carney Family LLC through transfer of land and assets to Raynham Park LLC.
$125 million: Bank financing from syndicate of lenders led by Credit Suisse.
$46.3 million: Capital generated by a year of operating a temporary slots parlor while a permanent facility is built.
More information: massgaming.com

Read more: BUDGET BREAKDOWN: Capital investment in the Parx Casino proposal - Raynham, MA - Raynham Call http://www.wickedlocal.com/raynham/news/x1745250300/BUDGET-BREAKDOWN-Capital-investment-in-the-Parx-Casino-proposal#ixzz2j6upJLia
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W. Bridgewater official wants town to reach deal with Raynham Park

“As leaders of town owe it to residents not to promote additional hardship,” Gagne said. “If the project is to be built, we owe it to residents to provide the best mitigation plan available. … The town of West Bridgewater just needs financial relief to mitigate the expected 2,800 extra cars per day that will travel through the town.”

Many supporters of Raynham Park, from Brockton, Easton and other nearby communities, spoke out in favor of George Carney and Raynham Park.

There were also members of the labor group Unite Here, urging Carney and Greenwood Racing to reach a “labor harmony agreement” to create a level playing field for workers. At this point, there is no labor harmony agreement in place as part of Raynham Park’s gaming license application.

One speaker from Unite Here said that a strong union ensures a safe working environment for women in the gambling and hospitality industry. A representative from Unite Here said they did have a positive meeting with Raynham Park owner George Carney, but that they have not heard back from his operating partner, Greenwood Racing.

Several former Raynham Park workers, including several from Easton, talked about their time at Raynham Park before layoffs resulting from a statewide ban on dog racing enacted in 2010, saying that they were able to go to college, buy their homes and achieve their dreams by saving money while working at the track. The supporters of the track said they want hundreds of jobs that were lost to come back to Raynham Park. Vendors who have worked with George Carney also spoke in his favor during the hearing, saying Carney supports other local businesses. Several speakers also attested to the Carney family staying loyal to Raynham and keeping the park open, supporting local families, even in tough times.

Charles W. Tartaglia, a friend of Carney from Easton, told the audience about how Raynham Park would be an ideal venue for boxing. As of right now, the closest venue for good boxing matches is Foxwoods or Twin River.

“Boxing here would be a boon for the whole area,” Tartaglia said.

Parx: Breeding Gambling Addiction

Parx has partnered with George Carney to bring their brand of Gambling Addiction to Raynham, Massachusetts. This is the face of your new neighbor!

Bill KearneyGambling Action Group

More proof that casinos ‘BREED’ compulsive casino gambling degenerates who become criminals.

Bucks County Courier - September 10, 2013 - Cops: Philadelphia man arrested after slashing 59 chairs at Bensalem casino

Some people do strange things when they gamble. A 28-year-old Philadelphia man allegedly slashed nearly 60 chairs at a Bensalem casino last week, Pennsylvania State Police said....

Surveillance cameras at Parx casino on Street Road on Thursday captured Carlos Urena gambling at several slot machines. The footage also showed him slashing 59 of the slot machine chairs with a razor, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The casino estimated the damage at $4,425, police said.

On Monday, police say that Urena was seen in the casino shortly before 3 p.m. and employees notified state police who arrested him. Urena spoke with police and admitted to slashing the chairs, police said. Court documents do not say why Urena slashed the chairs.

Urena was arraigned Monday before Bristol Township District Judge Joanne Kline on a misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief and sent to Bucks County prison in lieu of 10 percent of $25,000 bail.

The Ecuador native also has a detainer with the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, according to Kline’s court.
http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/communities/cops-philadelphia-man-arrested-after-slashing-chairs-at-bensalem-casino/article_acf1c6e3-5dfc-5b87-94bd-bde8a308c47f.html

 

 

 

 

 

KoolAid Consumption in Raynham

Officials: Raynham covered by host community agreement

By Marc Larocque

Taunton Gazette Staff Reporter

Posted Jun 12, 2013

Raynham Board of Selectmen, from left, JosephPacheco, RichardSchiavo and MarieSmith

RAYNHAM —

Elected leaders in Raynham said that the host community agreement they reached on a proposed 1,250 slot machine gaming facility will mitigate all impacts on the town related to the development project.

The town’s consultant for the project has determined that major infrastructure improvements to the town’s water and sewer system are not required for the first two phases of development planned for the Raynham Park slot project.

But if and when further phases of development come to be, including plans for a hotel along with retail stores and restaurants at the 125-acre site on Broadway, the host community agreement covers it, said Raynham Board of Selectmen Chairman Joseph Pacheco.

“They recognized impacts that are going to be put on this community as a result of this,” Pacheco said on Wednesday. “At the end of the day, we came away with an agreement that is good for Raynham and operating a business as well. There is a whole separate section in the agreement about infrastructure improvements. Those costs will be exclusively bore by Raynham Park.”

On Tuesday night, the three-member Raynham Board of Selectmen approved a host community agreement that would provide the town $1.1 million annually, in addition to property taxes, permitting costs and other fees that the developers must pay the town on the proposed 175,000-square-foot gaming facility they plan to construct. Raynham Park, which was a dog track for nearly 70 years and has been holding simulcast racing since greyhound racing was banned in 2008, must invest at least $125 million according to the Massachusetts gaming legislation.

“The negotiation obviously had its challenges,” Pacheco said. “Their top priority is operating a business, obviously. I do have to give them credit. They recognized impacts that are going to be put on this community as a result of that. At the end of the day, we came away with an agreement that good for Raynham and operating a business as well.”

The community host agreement has not yet been released to the public, but the Selectmen said on Tuesday night that they would be releasing the 13-page document within seven days. A town-wide referendum vote is expected to take place in mid-August, but should be announced in the following days, Pacheco said.

When it comes to covering a potential influx of police or ambulance calls, Pacheco said that Raynham Park would not be the only business generating calls for service in the area.

Also, the issue is complicated by the fact that a plan to police the slot casino, which may involve the State Police, has not yet been formed at this point, according to a consultant hired by the town.
“We’re getting over a million dollars a year to handle impacts and so forth,” Pacheco said. “The board, at our discretion, is going to make decisions if there is an appropriate need for (police and fire) staffing. … There will be some increase in calls for service. But nobody should just make the presumption the calls will just be for Raynham Park. We have other businesses in the town of Raynham.”

Conor Yunits, a spokesperson for Raynham Park and its owner George Carney, said that the developers are in the process of finalizing all the renderings of redevelopment at the Route 138 site, located just off of Interstate 495 and not far from Route 24. Yunits said that Raynham Park, along with its partner Greenwood Racing/Parx, of Pennsylvania, has a tentative plan to release the renderings, and more economic information surrounding the proposed slot casino project, next month.

“We’re in the process of finalizing all the renderings,” Yunits said. “Also there is all the economic data, the jobs numbers and everything else. We expect to have it all completed in the next two weeks.”

Yunits said that following the tentative announcement set for July, Raynham Park plans to follow it up with a series of community meetings at Raynham Park “so people can come ask questions and learn more” prior to the town wide referendum.

Yunits said a website, dedicated to information about the project, is set to launch by the end of June.

“We are trying to get it done as soon as possible,” he said. “We want to make as much info available to the public as soon as possible.”

What is known right now about the economic impact of the project is that B&S Consulting, which was hired by the town to analyze the proposed slot casino, has said the Raynham Park slot parlor would generation between 411 and 500 new jobs. The firm’s figure is lower than the initial estimate of 600 put forth by the developers. [Experience elsewhere indicates the ratio is 3-4 SLOT MACHINES per Employee, not specifying shifts, part-time workers. These are LOW WAGE JOBS.]


Raynham Park and town officials said that after three years, the annual $1.1 million payment to the town will increase by 2.5 percent for each following year. Out of the $1.1 million, $100,000 of that will go toward capital costs for the town, which would pay for things like police cars and dump trucks, even after three years as the formula for host community compensation changes.

Another detail of the agreement is that that the 2.5 percent yearly increases to the $1.1 million payment would be subject to a “1 percent gross gaming revenue cap” after 20 years of operations.

In addition to the $1.1 million, during the second year and beyond, the agreement calls for $15,000 to be contributed by Raynham Park each year to a fund that will provide payments to local businesses that apply for façade improvements on the Route 138 corridor. The Raynham Park developers also agreed to conduct a traffic impact study at the junction of Old North Main and Elm streets, along with perfuming additional traffic, water and sewer studies as recommended by the town’s planning consultant for the project.

State Rep. Angelo D’Emilia, R-Bridgewater, said he believes the agreement is good for Raynham.
“I think the Carney family has proven in the past they can run that kind of establishment and if the community agrees moving forward, it’d be a great thing getting jobs back to Raynham,” D’Emilia said.

State Sen. Marc Pacheco, D-Taunton, said the agreement sounds good, but the issue is for Raynham to decide.

“From a state perspective, we’re certainly interested in these licenses,” said Pacheco, noting that the gaming legislation calls for a 40 percent tax on the holder of the slot license, which will be awarded later this year or early 2014.

Joseph Pacheco said he believes that public opinion in Raynham is positive about the proposed gaming facility, partly because of Raynham Park’s history in Raynham and how it has employed many residents over the years.

“There has always been deep support in Raynham for Raynham Park,” Pacheco said.
[Not from the Raynham residents I've spoken to!]


http://www.tauntongazette.com/newsnow/x1484773708/Officials-Raynham-covered-by-host-community-agreement?zc_p=0#axzz2W6PigrLu



Norton officials wary of gambling impact

Shortchanging Raynham

Raynham promised a jackpot

Slots deal would pay town $1M annually

Wednesday, June 12, 2013
By: Dave Wedge

Raynham Park became the first slots developer to strike a local deal as the former greyhound racetrack won approval last night from selectmen for a pact that could pay the southeastern Massachusetts town $1 million a year in gaming cash.

Townspeople and the state gaming board must still vote on the plan before any deal is done.

“The town of Raynham will be well-served by this agreement,” said Joe Pacheco, chairman of the Board of Selectmen. “We look forward to a robust discussion about this proposal, and hope for a favorable vote later this summer.”
 

Under the deal, the slots palace would pay the town $1 million a year in its first three years, a fee that will increase by 2.5 percent each subsequent year.

The town’s haul would be capped at 
1 percent of all gross gaming revenue after 20 years.
Raynham Park, which has partnered with Pennsylvania casino company Greenwood Racing/Parx, will also pay the town $100,000 a year for capital improvements and $15,000 a year to improve Route 138. The agreement also includes preferential hiring for Raynham residents, as well as requirements to use local vendors.

“We are very excited,” said Greenwood Racing CEO Tony Ricci. “Raynham Park ... will be a beautiful addition to the social landscape of the town and will provide a significant boost to the local economy.”

Raynham Park owner George Carney added: “Our location ... offers the highest revenue potential to the commonwealth of Massachusetts for the slot casino license. Our outstanding management team will ensure that we deliver the full promise of this opportunity.”

The pact marks the first “host community agreement” approval for any of the four developers competing for the state’s sole slots license. The state gambling law requires a local deal to be in place before a license is issued.

Plainridge Racecourse, which is seeking a slots license, is in talks with the town of Plainville, while Worcester recently rejected a proposal by Chicago’s Rush Street Gaming. Cordish Co. of Maryland is also reportedly seeking a slots license, but has yet to identify a location.

The state gaming board is expected to award the slots license this fall.

For resort casinos, Springfield has struck a pact with MGM Resorts International while Everett officials have a deal with Wynn Resorts. Both deals need voter approval.

- See more at: http://bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2013/06/raynham_promised_a_jackpot#sthash.Ke307YEV.dpuf

Raynham Park strikes deal with town on slot machine parlor

By Mark Arsenault

| Globe Staff June 11, 2013
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/06/11/raynham-park-strikes-deal-with-town-over-slot-machine-parlor/1QLjMn7wbBFwoq505pvoeL/story.html

Host community agreement for slot parlor in Raynham approved
Taunton Daily Gazette
The three-member board unanimously approved a draft of the host community agreement that was forged with Raynham Park, the former dog track which has ...
 


 

Raynham: Workers Protest At Proposed Slot Barn Location

George Carney has sought a Slot Barn license for this Raynham location.

Workers protest outside American Waste Services in Raynham

Michael Smith | Correspondent

American Waste Services workers and supporters march in protest of years of wages owed to them during a protest at Raynham Park Saturday afternoon.

Read more: http://www.tauntongazette.com/news/x373359091/Workers-protest-outside-American-Waste-Services-in-Raynham#ixzz2Voifp5dW
Follow us: @TauntonToGo on Twitter | TauntonToGo on Facebook

By Michael Smith

Correspondent

Posted Jun 08, 2013

RAYNHAM —

More than 50 workers and former workers of American Waste Services, a company specializing in commercial, residential and industrial waste removal, staged a protest at Raynham Park on Saturday afternoon.

The protest was designed to address years of missing wages, which have not been paid to American Waste Services. The total of missing wages is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to Fuerza-Laboral, an organization that is helping organize the workers.

American Waste Services, founded by Mike Galvin and Chris Carney, is based out of the Raynham Taunton Dog Track, which is owned by Carney’s father, George Carney.

No longer a greyhound track, Raynham Park has remained opened as a simulcast betting parlor.
American Waste Services, according to an employee, had contacts with the towns of Wrentham, Foxboro, Medway, and Franklin. Workers there earned an average of $26.98 and hour.
An employee, who wished to be unnamed, said anywhere from $150 to $300 dollars a week were missing from their paychecks.
Carney and Galvin sold the company in 2011. The new owner assumed control on January 1, 2012. When the new owners assumed control, workers began to see the money in their paychecks.
In order to receive their missing wages, the workers decided to stage a public action in protest.
The public action was planned with help from Fuerza-Laboral, a Central Falls, R.I.-based organization of workers who organize other workers to end labor exploitation. Phoebe Gardener, community organizer for Fuerza-Laboral, said American Waste Services workers contacted them first.
As the workers marched along Route 138 near the Raynham Park entrance, Gardener lead them in cheers of protest, “Ain’t no power like the power of the people, because the power of the people don’t stop!”
The workers, mostly from Guatemala and Ecuador, held homemade cards made to look like checks showing how much they say Carney and Galvin owed workers. The amounts ranged from $3.35 to $9 an hour for anywhere from 4.5 to 8 years.
Twenty minutes into the protest Raynham police arrived to monitor the demonstration. Lt. Brian Carr spoke to Gardener and the group about where they can peacefully march and not interfere with traffic.
Cars that drove by on Route 138 honked their horns in support of the demonstration.
During the hour-long protest, Gardner had workers give their own testimonials via a bullhorn. Because most of the workers could only speak Spanish, Will Lambek, a supporter of Fuerza-Laboral since 2007, translated for them.
Chris Carney could not be reached for comment.

 

Slot Barn in Raynham Despite Lower Job Projections, Ignoring Costs

Raynham

Selectmen support slot parlor despite lower jobs projection

By Jennette Barnes

| Globe Correspondent May 30, 2013

The Raynham Board of Selectmen still supports slot machines at Raynham Park, despite receiving a lower job-creation estimate from the town’s consultant than from the developers, Selectmen Richard Schiavo and Joseph Pacheco said.

Consultant Robert Birmingham told the board last week that the facility would probably generate between 411 and 500 new jobs, fewer than the developers’ estimate of 600.  [An examination of Slot Barns elsewhere reveals 3-4 Slot Machines per employee, not considering shifts and weekends.]

Asked about the discrepancy, Pacheco said the jobs will be significant under either estimate, and the estimates do not include temporary construction jobs. State law requires a developer to invest at least $125 million in a slots project.

The former dog track, still used for simulcast racing, is vying for the sole slots license allowed under the state’s 2011 casino law. Developers plan to install 1,250 slot machines and revamp the property with retail stores and restaurants.

 

The three-member Board of Selectmen hopes to reach a consensus by the end of next week about what the members would like to see in an agreement with the developers, according to Schiavo.

“Our goal as selectmen is really to bring this together by the first week in June,” he said. “I think the general feeling is we’re very much for pursuing this.”

Raynham Park owner George Carney did not dispute the consultant’s jobs numbers. “I wouldn’t question whatever they came up with, to be honest,” he said.

Carney is working with development partner Greenwood Racing, parent company of Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment, which owns Parx Casino outside Philadelphia.

Birmingham, of B&S Consultants, said the developers’ higher number may be based on the customers they hope to serve, versus the actual local gaming market. He said his company’s estimates are based on slot-machine use at Twin River Casino in Rhode Island, Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway in New York, and Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.

At public meetings, residents have said they worry about traffic congestion on roads near the site, which is located in the northern part of town, not far from Route 24 and Interstate 495.

Birmingham said that the developers’ traffic study, done by Boston-based Nitsch Engineering, followed acceptable methodology, and that traffic could be less than the estimates. In a slide presentation to the selectmen last week, he recommended Raynham Park install traffic counters in the driveways to monitor how many trips the facility generates, and a system that would allow police and fire vehicles to reach the facility faster by preempting traffic signals in an emergency.

His presentation also suggested that if traffic is as high as the developers estimate and it creates congestion on the Interstate 495 southbound off-ramp, Raynham Park should widen the ramp to create a double left-turn lane.

In an interview, Birmingham said no public transit runs along Route 138 in front of the track, and he would recommend offering shuttle service between Taunton, Easton, and the facility. It should at least serve employees, if not customers, he said.

The consultant’s report to the selectmen also recommended the new slots facility make payments to the town to cover a variety of expenses, including road, water, and sewer improvements; additional police and fire service, and reimbursement for related elections and Town Meetings. It advised the town to seek payments into a community fund for organizations supporting youth, civic events, recreation, and veterans; and into a diversity fund for a language program for middle schools in the Bridgewater-Raynham regional school system.

Birmingham said language education has been an issue in Connecticut, because some children of casino employees speak English as a second language. A new program in the middle schools could include language classes and cultural sensitivity education, he said.

Regarding public safety, the consultant’s presentation suggested that if the Massachusetts Gaming Commission determines local police will have jurisdiction over the site, Raynham Park should fund additional police and fire personnel to staff a 24-hour on-site duty station, a police transport vehicle for detainees, two police cruisers, additional communications and background-check capacity, and an additional ambulance— all for the first phase of development. The second phase could bring additional requests.

Former selectman Don McKinnon, who served on the board for 39 years, said in an interview that local police should have jurisdiction in order to keep a close watch over excessive drinking and similar problems.

He would not vote for a full casino, he said, but as things stand now, he plans to vote for the slots facility.

“The casino, I think, changes the character of your community,” he said.

McKinnon also said that he knows many people who oppose slots at Raynham Park, and that the consultants seem to be presenting a mostly positive view.

“I don’t think they’re necessarily there to give you two sides to it,” he said.
Schiavo said the consultants are doing a thorough job.

If the selectmen reach an agreement with the developers, the agreement could be put to a townwide vote by October, in time for the Gaming Commission to award a license by the end of the year.
Jennette Barnes can be reached at jennettebarnes@yahoo.com.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/south/2013/05/29/selectmen-support-raynham-slot-parlor-despite-lower-jobs-projection/EgX8fs9yDu2HUeWgFDwm7L/story.html

 

Raynham: Some things are beyond words!

Former local tribal planners advising Mass. town
By Brian HallenbeckPublication: The Day

Published 05/15/2013

 

Robert Birmingham witnessed Foxwoods Resort Casino's growth from a ringside seat as the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe's top planner until 2010.
Now, he's putting that experience to use in a consulting role, teaming with another former tribal planner, David Schweid, to help the town of Raynham, Mass., evaluate developers' plans to turn a former dog track into a slots parlor.
Birmingham began consulting for the Mashantuckets in the late 1980s when he was Stonington's town planner. At the end of his nearly 20-year career with the tribe, he was director of community development and property management. Schweid worked eight years as an assistant planner for the tribe in the 1990s and is the part-time planner in Exeter, R.I.
"We think we know some things," Birmingham said.
The consultants' backgrounds were key factors in the town's decision to hire them, according to Joseph Pacheco, chairman of the Raynham Board of Selectmen.
Birmingham and Schweid made a presentation in Raynham last month and expect to finish their report on the slots parlor proposal next week. Birmingham said they've been studying how the project, which calls for 1,250 slot machines and major renovations, would affect traffic, roads, police and fire protection and water and sewer service.
"We're looking at the marketplace, too," he said, "How much slot revenue can they expect, what the experience has been in Rhode Island and at the Indian casinos (in Connecticut)."
B&S Consulting's work will help frame a "host community agreement" the developers must reach with the town's Board of Selectmen. The plan would then have to be approved by residents in a referendum.
Proposed by the property's owner, George Carney, and Greenwood Racing, which owns Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pa., the Raynham Park plan is one of up to four vying for the single slots license the Massachusetts Gaming Commission expects to award by the end of the year. Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville is seeking the license, and projects have been proposed in Worcester and Boxborough, too.
"The Raynham plan is as good as anyone's," said Clyde Barrow, a gaming expert and director of the Center for Policy Analysis at UMass Dartmouth. "All of them are good locations for intercepting traffic to Rhode Island and Connecticut, though I think the commission's aiming primarily at Twin River (in Rhode Island) ... I don't see the slots parlor having a major impact on Foxwoods; it's really aimed at the convenience gambler."
Birmingham said he believes the Raynham Park proposal has broad public support in the town where the facility offered live greyhound racing for decades until the state banned the practice several years ago. Since then, it's continued to offer wagering on simulcast racing.
Would Ledyard residents have approved Foxwoods if a referendum been required at the time?
"That's an interesting question," Birmingham said. "If you think back to what was going on (when Foxwoods was built), with the cutbacks in defense spending, the casino was a savior. Over time, it's proved to be an economic engine ... Now that things are declining - the business is not so lucrative, there are layoffs at the casinos - not everybody likes it so much.”
As for Foxwoods' impact, he said, "It's totally a mixed bag."

http://www.theday.com/article/20130515/BIZ02/305159967/1044