In 1997, Massachusetts's only harness racing track,[2]Foxboro Park, was closed after a legal dispute between its owner, Robert Kraft, and its operator, Charles Sarkis.[3] Two competing plans to resurrect the sport were soon brought before the Massachusetts Racing Commission, with Kraft seeking to reopen Foxboro under a new operator, while Gary Piontkowski, who had managed Foxboro under Sarkis, proposed to build a new track at a 90-acre site in Plainville.[4] Kraft withdrew his application weeks later,[5] however, leaving Piontkowski as harness racing's only hope in the state.
The Racing Commission issued a conditional license for Piontkowski's proposed track in November 1997, with a targeted opening date of May 1998.[6] Piontkowski would purchase the land for $4.5 million, and buy an existing 40,000-square-foot building to use as the grandstand.[7] The project would be financed by an $11 million loan from Cornerstone Capital.[7]
Piontkowski's application ran into trouble when the Commission found that Cornerstone had never actually committed to the loan, and that Piontkowski might have used a loan broker who had since been imprisoned for bank fraud.[8] The project was nevertheless granted a two-month extension of its financing deadline, raising criticism that commissioners were being too lenient with Piontkowski, who had previously served as the Racing Commission's chairman.[9] By April 1998, the commission approved a new financing plan, with ownership of the track to be shared by nine investors, with Piontkowski holding a 15% share.[10]
In May 1998, a neighboring landowner filed a lawsuit seeking to nullify the track's building permit,[11] prompting Piontkowski to suspend construction and push back the track's debut to the next season.[12] The lawsuit was later settled out of court.[13]
A new application was filed in October 1998,[14] under which the purchase of the land and construction of the track would be financed by real estate developer Lou Giuliano, who would lease the track to Piontkowski's company for $1 million per year.[15] The Racing Commission approved the license in November.[16]
Opening (1999)
The track opened for simulcast wagering on March 17, 1999,[17] and held its first day of live racing a month later on April 19.[18]
Plainridge Racecourse faced criticism from the beginning, with industry observers and Racing Commission chair Robert Hutchinson arguing that the track's live racing schedule was nothing but an excuse to justify a lucrative off-track betting operation and a potential racino; a large room in the grandstand was set aside for the installation of as many as 400 slot machines.[19]
Around July 1999, a rift grew between Piontkowski and Giuliano over management of the track.[20] Giuliano then applied for a license to operate the track himself in 2000, claiming that Piontkowski's lease was valid only until December 31, 1999.[20] The commission found that Giuliano did not actually own the land, but only held an option to buy it from a Boston investment company, Realty Financial Partners (RFP), which had financed the purchase.[21] Piontkowski's company was approved to retain the license, subject to the condition that it obtain financing the buy the track from RFP.[21] After Giuliano failed to exercise his option to buy the track, RFP claimed control and served an eviction notice on Piontkowski.[22] A deal was soon reached for Piontkowski's group to buy Plainridge from RFP for $13.6 million, to be partially financed by Anchor Gaming.[23] The sale was completed in May 2000.[24]
In the wake of their dispute, Piontkowski and Giuliano filed dozens of lawsuits against of each other, with proceedings lasting through 2005.[25] Giuliano initiated multiple attempts to develop a nearby competing harness racing track,[26][27] none of them successful.
Addition of slot machines
Piontkowski consistently supported proposed legislation to authorize slot machines at the state's four racetracks, touting plans for a $180-million expansion of Plainridge.[28] Discussions were held with major gaming companies about developing a casino at the track,[29] but the site was seen as having limited potential due to its proximity to the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, who were likely to develop a casino under any expanded gambling regimen.[30] In 2008, Piontkowski was credited with killing a casino bill pushed by Governor Deval Patrick because it had no provision for racinos.[30]
In 2011, the state finally enacted casino legislation, authorizing up to three resort-style casinos and one slots-only facility.[31] The slot parlor provision originated as a compromise between House Speaker Robert DeLeo, a staunch advocate of racinos, and Governor Patrick, who opposed allowing slot machines at racetracks without a competitive bidding process.[32] Plainridge was the state's first gaming applicant, submitting its $400,000 application fee as soon as the process opened.[33] Piontkowski stated that the track could not continue live racing without the additional revenue of slot machines;[34] one of the track's owners said the site could otherwise be redeveloped as a shopping center.[35]
The track began construction of a 1,000-car parking garage in late 2012, hoping to demonstrate to the Gaming Commission that its proposal would be the quickest to open and begin generating tax revenue.[36]
In early 2013, state investigators found that Piontkowski had taken over $1 million in cash from the track's money room over the years; the distributions were recorded on the company books, but had not been approved by the track's majority owners.[37] As a result, the owners pushed Piontkowski out as president, and bought out his shares.[38] The track's new president vowed to change the organization's "culture",[38] but the Gaming Commission called the changes "way too little, way too late", and disqualified Plainridge's application for a gaming license in August 2013.[39]
New hope for the track emerged weeks later, when Penn National Gaming (now Penn Entertainment), fresh off a failure to win approval for its proposed slot parlor in Tewksbury, reached a deal to pursue a gaming license at Plainridge, with an option to buy the track if its bid were successful.[40] Plainville voters soon approved the slots plan by a margin of 3 to 1 in a town referendum, which was required as a condition of licensing.[41]
Penn National was awarded the gaming license in February 2014. The bid overcame competition from two other applicants, a Cordish Company slot parlor proposed for Leominster, and a former greyhound racing track in Raynham.[41]
The slot parlor held a soft opening for invited guests on June 22, 2015,[42] and opened to the public on June 24.[43]
