Plainridge seeks new owners after slots license rejection

PLAINRIDGE RACECOURSE OWNERS are looking for buyers after the Mass. gaming commission disqualified them from the competition for the state's slot-parlor license. / BLOOMBERG FILE PHOTO/MIKE MERGEN
PLAINRIDGE RACECOURSE OWNERS are looking for buyers after the Mass. gaming commission disqualified them from the competition for the state's slot-parlor license. / BLOOMBERG FILE PHOTO/MIKE MERGEN

PLAINVILLE, Mass. – The owners of Plainridge Racecourse are looking to sell the track after the state’s gaming commission recommended against their application for a slot parlor license, Boston.com reported.
The goal is to preserve the track’s shot at the license and harness racing in Massachusetts.
The property has drawn “significant interest” from investors and talks with potential new owners are ongoing, a source told Boston.com.
Time is short for the proposed sale, however, as the gaming commission has set an Oct. 4 deadline for finalized slot parlor proposals and a new owner would have to undergo an extensive background check. The commission has not said whether it would accept a new owner.
On Monday, the gaming commission ruled the current Plainridge owners unsuitable to hold a state casino license due to the practices of former President Gary T. Piontkowski, who took about $1.4 million in cash from the track’s money room over several years.
Four other developers remain in the running for the lone slot-parlor license in Massachusetts.
Track officials have long said the site would have to close without the addition of slot machines, which would spell the end of harness racing in the state.

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