Raynham track owner makes his casino pitch

RAYNHAM - The owner of the Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park promised yesterday to make a strong bid to bring a resort casino to his 100-acre property and vowed to use local backers to make it happen.

Businessman George Carney said cash won't be a problem in his effort to bring a casino to his site. "I have plenty of local people in the state of Massachusetts that would be willing to participate, and I wouldn't be looking for money in South Africa," Carney said. "I have a great track record for making money."

Carney's reference was to South African hotel and gambling magnate Sol Kerzner, one of the backers of the proposed Mashpee Wampanoag tribal casino targeted for 500 wooded acres in Middleborough and one of the early developers of the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut.

In an interview, Carney declined to say who he expects to recruit as local investors. But he said the park's location, near Interstate 495 and Route 24, is superior to the known competitors for a casino license in Southeastern Massachusetts.

Deval Patrick's recently announced plan calls for three commercial casino licenses to be issued in three regions of the state: Southeastern Massachusetts, Western Massachusetts, and Greater Boston; Patrick has since defined the Boston area as extending up to the New Hampshire border, while expressing misgivings about urban casinos.

In Southeastern Massachusetts, most of the focus has been on the Middleborough proposal and efforts by New Bedford officials to attract gambling to their city. Carney first mentioned that he would enter the running last week. "I think we have a leg up on all the others, based on our location," said Carney, a 79-year-old native of Brockton.

He pointed out that the Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park already has water, sewer, and other infrastructure on site. And the park has a sprawling building that wraps around the track's perimeter, with ample lounge space for slot machines and gaming tables that could be up and running within a few months.

Casino specialist Clyde W. Barrow of the Center for Policy Analysis at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, found little to argue with yesterday in Carney's assertions.

"It's a strategic location, halfway between Boston and Providence," Barrow said. "And he has the acreage."

Carney said his greyhound park suffered serious financial losses once casinos opened in Connecticut and Rhode Island. In its heyday, the park hosted as many as 20,000 people a day. That number has dropped to about 5,000, Carney said.

The governor has said he is not interested in simply loading the state's four racetracks with slots to bolster their sagging profits, and Carney said he is ready to conform to Patrick's vision.

"I was disappointed at first that the governor didn't put the tracks in his [casino] plan, but now I think he did me a favor," Carney said, adding that the dog track has plenty of space for a golf course, hotel, and other major amenities.

Carney is well known in Southeastern Massachusetts. He prides himself on the fact he is self-made, having had no formal schooling beyond the ninth grade. Carney now owns a great deal of land and several businesses. Among them are a trucking business and the dog track, which he has overseen for more than 40 years.

Raynham officials have expressed worry over Carney's plans for such a major expansion at the greyhound track.

But Carney says those concerns can be overcome. "I think as long as there's plenty of money going to Raynham for mitigation, they'll be happy," he said.

Raynham property owners are concerned over their taxes, as are residents in other towns, Carney said. "I think the people of Raynham are going to vote with their pocketbook."

Christine Wallgren can be reached at CLWallgren@aol.com.