Suffolk Downs announces September 29 closure

The news came the day state gambling regulators finalized their award of the lone Boston-area casino license to Wynn Resorts for a USD 1.6 billion project on the Everett waterfront. Mohegan Sun had proposed a UDS 1.1 billion resort casino at Suffolk Downs.

In the coming days, Tuttle said, track owners will formally notify workers at concession stands and other vendors, as well as the owners, breeders and trainers of horses that compete at Suffolk Downs.

He said the closing would affect nearly 200 workers directly employed by the track, plus hundreds more who work for vendors and with the horses. 

Tuttle declined to comment on future development plans for the roughly 160-acre site, which has its own subway stop and is located just a few miles from Logan airport and downtown Boston.

"We're focused on supporting our workers through this transition. We're focused on turning the page," Tuttle said. "We've been at this a long time, and we don't want to create any false sense of hope. We're dealing with some very devastated people here."

Tuttle said the track hasn't been profitable for about seven years and its owners — developer Richard Fields and food concessions entrepreneur Joe O'Donnell - have lost about $50 million to $60 million during that time.