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A defunct dog track hopes legal Massachusetts sports betting can revitalize its business.
The former Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park, which hasn’t hosted a race in over a decade, will be transformed into a new retail sportsbook.
Chris Carney, a member of the track’s ownership group, said $2.5 million would be spent on the new facility.
“We’re spending over $2.5 million — It’s going to be the biggest sportsbook in the country,” Carney said.
Massachusetts sports betting launch
In 2008, via a statewide referendum, 56 percent of Massachusetts voters voted to ban dog racing as of New Year’s Day 2010. Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park held its final day of racing on Dec. 26, 2009.
But now, the park is one of five facilities that will open in Massachusetts next year. Additionally, the sportsbook could be tied to featured brand names like Bally’s Corp. or Caesars Entertainment.
“We hung in there for the last 50 years, so it’s our day in the sun,” Carney said.
Once finished, ownership envisions about $100 million from the new-look sportsbook since customers will no longer need to travel to neighboring states like Rhode Island or New Hampshire to place bets.
Sports betting in the Commonwealth was signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker on Aug. 10. However, a new timeline established by the MA Gaming Commission set the launch for MA retail sports betting to be no earlier than January 2023.
For those wishing to place bets on their mobile devices, mobile sports betting will launch in Feb. 2023.
Economic boost for the community
Regardless, State Sen. Marc Pacheco, who pushed for the legalization of sports betting, said the new project would be a boom for the community.
“There’s another 300, 400 jobs they’re estimating here that will be created as a result of moving forward with expanded gaming in the commonwealth in of sports betting,” Pacheco said.
At its peak, Raynham-Taunton employed almost 1,200 people in southeastern Massachusetts. With a new sportsbook underway, the park expects to rehire several former employees.
“Everybody from Quincy on south is going to come. Everybody from the Cape is going to come here. This is going to be the biggest retail location in the state of Massachusetts,” Carney said.
