Revere Ward 3 Councillor Arthur Guinasso asked HYM founding partner and managing director Thomas O’Brien a question that has been on the mind of horse racing fans for quite some time.
“How long is Suffolk Downs going to be able to stay in that location so that the bettors can go to that site [and wager on simulcast races]?” Guinasso asked O’Brien at Monday’s City Council meeting.
O’Brien said HYM has extended the lease “on a year-to-year basis for at least another year for the betting operation to continue at the [Suffolk Downs] Clubhouse.”
O’Brien said that HYM has a great relationship with Sterling Suffolk “and we’ve enjoyed working with them.”
O’Brien continued that Sterling Suffolk may be considering other locations and ventures such as sports gaming [Massachusetts is moving forward on a bill that will legalize wagering on sports – New Hampshire and Rhode Island currently have legal sportsbooks]. “They’re [Suffolk Downs simulcasting] certainly going to be here for the next year, but it could be that sometime afterwards, some question marks get added on that.”
“They bring activity into the Clubhouse which is great and we’re happy to have them,” concluded O’Brien. So it appears based on Guinasso’s inquiry and O’Brien’s direct response that horse racing fans will be able to wager on next year’s Triple Crown [Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes] races at Suffolk and perhaps in 2023 as well