Suffolk Downs owners in running for sports-betting license in Massachusetts

The Massachusetts legislature has approved a bill that will make 15 sports-betting licenses available in the state, including to the former owners of Suffolk Downs, which closed in 2019.

The legislation, which has the support of Gov. Charlie Baker, gives the state’s casinos, racetracks, and slots parlors the right to apply for a license. Each license holder will be able to operate a bricks-and-mortar location and partner with two mobile-betting operations.

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Chip Tuttle, the chief executive officer of the parent company of Suffolk Downs, said on Wednesday that the legislation will give the company the right to a license. The company, SSR, operates an off-track betting platform on the property that Suffolk Downs used to occupy. The property is under development.

Tuttle said that “discussions” are ongoing with mobile-sports betting operators and that SSR has not yet made a firm decision on its bricks-and-mortar plan, which will be limited to a site in Suffolk County. Tuttle said it is likely that SSR will build a “state-of-the-art facility” combining simulcasting and sports betting.

“We haven’t reached any conclusions yet, but discussions are ongoing,” Tuttle said.