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August 19, 2010

Wonderland takes last bet, closes

MICHAEL NORTON State House News Service

REVERE — Wonderland Greyhound Park, slammed by the one-two punch of a voter-imposed ban on dog racing and failed expanded gambling talks, is closing down after 75 years of continuous operation.

Operators of the Revere track informed employees as they arrived at work Thursday morning that the business, which was down to 100 workers, is suspending operations, unable to compete in a changed market that features casinos and racetrack slot venues in neighboring states. Most track employees have worked there for decades.

Wonderland employees were informed that if expanded gambling ends up being authorized in Massachusetts and if nearby Suffolk Downs wins an expanded gambling license, Wonderland workers would be given preference for jobs. Wonderland and Suffolk Downs in 2008 entered into a business partnership.

During an interview with the News Service Wednesday, Wonderland President and CEO Richard Dalton was asked about whether Wonderland would close if no gambling bill accord is reached and professed "guarded optimism" about the Legislature and Gov. Deval Patrick reaching a deal.

But Dalton said the bill's apparent death had prompted depression among the track's "bare-bones, skeleton force," who had viewed the prospect of expanded gambling at the facility as "a new breath of life."

If no gambling law materializes, Dalton said Wednesday, the track would consider converting the facility for another use. He declined to speculate what that might be.

Since a voter-imposed ban on dog racing went into effect Jan. 1, 2010, Wonderland and Raynham Park, also a former dog track, have scaled back operations to feature only wagering on races simulcast from other racetracks.

Wonderland officials are under pressure from state racing industry regulators to explain allegations that they have not made payments to Plainridge Racecourse and a regional horsemen's group.

State regulators said they believed Wonderland owed $40,000 to Plainridge and looked forward to an explanation from Wonderland at a meeting scheduled for Sept. 8.

Rep. Kathi-Anne Reinstein (D-Revere), a former Wonderland employee, said lawmakers who supported racetrack slot machine legalization hoped to save jobs and expand workforces at gambling venues. She said earlier this week that she instead anticipated helping displaced track workers with unemployment applications and efforts to keep their homes. "Their lives are going to change," Reinstein said, referring to Wonderland workers.

Expanded gambling talks on Beacon Hill collapsed earlier this month after the Legislature and Gov. Deval Patrick could not agree on a plan to authorize slot machine venues in addition to the casino legalization plans that the House, Senate and Patrick all supported.

"Until the early 1990s when the Connecticut casinos opened, Wonderland was considered the premier greyhound track in the world," Dalton said in a statement Thursday. "This is an emotional day for all of us, and the most difficult part of it is the hardworking people who have been given notice that they no longer have a job."

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