Operator News
Puerto Rico – Camarero Racetrack to reopen after $15m renovation
By Phil - 5 October 2021
Work on The Camarero Racetrack in Puerto Rico is nearly complete. The total renovation came in at a price tag of US$15 million. The track is now part of a much larger facility which could see a more diverse gaming offer in the future.
The President and Chief Executive Officer Ervin Rodríguez Vélez, told press that the facilities would reopen on December 3, ahead of the Caribbean Classic. In addition to staging horse racing, it will also serve as the venue for concerts, festivals, dances, and other sporting events. The track will house two restaurants, nine bars, an activity room, VIP suites, shops, terraces and a refurbished club house.
Rodriguez Velez stated that the track will reopen on December 3, which will coincide with racing nights or “Night at the Races” which are held on the first Friday of each month, followed with the highest profile racing event in the region, the Classic International Del Caribe or Caribbean Derby which will be held on December 4 and 5. The top thoroughbred horses from Panama, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Jamaica, Ecuador, Trinidad and Tobago and Puerto Rico will all take part in the event.
Rodriguez Velez emphasised that the track will need to compete with other games such as the lottery, slot machines and other gaming offerings already present in the market. However the track serves as the hub for a significant share of the gambling market in Puerto Rico. There are around 700 off track betting shops which are part of the El Camarero Off-Track Betting Agency. The agencies are permitted to run a network of progressive slot machines. The track also offers horse race betting online.
The track was acquired by the Camarero Race Tack Corporation in 2005. The track reopened in 2007. Since 2009 the track has been permitted to operate 2,500 slot machines at its horse race betting shops in order to help the company overcome the economic difficulties that the industry has experienced due to the declining popularity of horse racing locally.
In March 2012, the Horse Racing Board and the Government of Puerto Rico allowed the track to offer betting via the track’s website ‘Gana Donde Sea’ which allows players to bet on races held at the track online. The site only accepts bets from local residents. The track sustained serious damage after it was hit by Hurricane Maria which landfall in Puerto Rico in September 2017.
