Penn Nation to Buy Plainridge Track in Massachusetts

PLAINVILLE, Mass. (Associated Press) - Penn National Gaming has signed an option to buy the Plainridge harness race track in a late bid to operate a slots parlor at the facility.

Under the agreement announced on Tuesday, Penn National will acquire the track in Plainville if the Massachusetts Gaming Commission awards the company the single slots parlor license allowed under the state's 2011 gambling law.

Wyomissing, Pa.-based Penn National has been unsuccessful in two previous attempts to enter the Massachusetts gambling market, failing to win local support for proposals to develop a resort casino in Springfield and a slots parlor in Tewksbury.

The state gambling commission last month disqualified the current owners of Plainridge from bidding on a slots parlor after a background check revealed questionable business practices involving a former executive.