Two of Greater Boston’s most storied racing venues, Suffolk Downs and the long-quiet Raynham Park, are suddenly back in the game. If a late-breaking amendment in the Massachusetts House survives the rest of the Beacon Hill gauntlet and regulators give the green light, both sites could be reborn as a gambling-and-entertainment campus anchored by thousands of electronic “historical horse racing” machines. Developer Richard Fields is pitching the overhaul as a construction surge and job generator, and the plan has been folded into a sweeping economic bill that now heads for a Senate showdown and a full regulatory review that will determine whether the shuttered tracks get a second life.
House Gives Fields A Crucial Opening
The Massachusetts House quietly slipped Representative Adrian Madaro’s amendment into its economic-development package, a move that would allow historical horse racing (HHR) machines at track properties and hand Richard Fields a key legislative opening to expand gambling at Suffolk Downs and the dormant Raynham Park. A Spectrum Gaming Group report commissioned by Fields projects about $150 million in new construction at Suffolk and roughly $75 million at Raynham, along with hundreds of jobs. The same package would steer 5.5 percent of sports-betting tax revenue into a new Sports & Entertainment Fund, a shift that has already drawn fire from casino operators and tribal leaders, according to The Boston Globe.
A Funding Sweetener And A Beacon Hill One-Liner
The Boston Globe reported that redirecting 5.5 percent of sports-betting tax revenue would have generated roughly $8 million last year, money meant to help lure major events to Massachusetts. Asked what might qualify, House budget chief Aaron Michlewitz quipped that “The DNC could be entertainment for some people,” a dry aside that underscored how broad the definition could be. Governor Maura Healey has now signed the fiscal package that creates a permanent revenue stream for the Sports & Entertainment Fund, according to Mass.gov.
A Long-Shot Comeback Years In The Making
Fields has been chasing some version of a Suffolk Downs revival for years, while also looking at other locations for live racing. Suffolk ended regular live racing after the 2019 season and the horsemen moved on, and industry watchers say any restart of live action would be anything but simple. Significant construction or new forms of gaming at the tracks would trigger a full suitability review by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission along with local approvals, a process racing-industry outlets describe as potentially lengthy, according to Equibase.
What Happens Next
With the House step complete, the proposal now marches to the Senate, where it is likely to land in a conference committee as part of the larger economic bill. Even if lawmakers keep the language intact, Fields would still need to clear multiple regulatory checkpoints and secure local sign-offs, and casino incumbents are widely expected to challenge the effort as creating slot-style play outside the traditional casino framework. In the weeks ahead, supporters will find out whether the promise of new jobs and a beefed-up events fund can outweigh political resistance and the scrutiny of state gaming regulators.
