Back in November, Raynham Park Racetrack and bet365 announced a partnership that would bring the bet365 brand online in Massachusetts. That partnership is no longer intact.
Representatives from bet365 confirmed to SBC Americas that the company will not be pursuing a Category 2 online gambling license in the Commonwealth after all.
In the meantime, Raynham Park recently announced plans for an elaborate retail sportsbook at the track powered by Caesars Sportsbook. Caesars already has an online betting license through a deal with Encore Boston Harbor.
At a recent Massachusetts Gaming Commission meeting, the commission staff announced Raynham Park has submitted its Category 2 application for review. There has been no new announcement from Raynham Park about another online operator. However, Category 2 licenses are for both retail and online betting, so it is possible the track would purely pursue retail betting.
For bet365, Massachusetts would have been its fourth US market, along with Colorado, New Jersey, and Ohio. The Ohio launch took place earlier this month. Colorado operations began in September 2022.
New Jersey has had bet365 as an operator since 2019, but other than that early market entry, the brand really only ramped up US expansion in the past year.
When the deal was first announced, a bet365 spokesperson addressed the role Massachusetts would play in the company’s US growth plan:
“bet365 are thrilled to partner with Raynham Park ahead of launching in Massachusetts in 2023. With so many legendary sports franchises and dedicated fans based in the state, this was a natural fit for us as we continue our US expansion.”
