Could Suffolk Downs go big on gambling again?

Suffolk Downs is weighing a potential return to large-scale gambling activity through a proposal that would legalize “historical horse racing” machines at the track and at Raynham Park, now closed. The plan, backed by Richard Fields, would require new legislation, and the House advanced it with a vote Wednesday before sending it to the Senate. The bill was incorporated via amendments to a broad economic development package and drew unusual opposition coordination from established casino operators, including Wynn Resorts, Penn, and MGM. Supporters say the machines resemble slots but involve bets tied to horse races run over decades, with players betting against each other rather than the house. The article links Fields’s effort to earlier fallout at Suffolk Downs, including the end of thoroughbred racing in 2019 after Wynn won the area casino license in 2012.