Deadline To Save Or Doom OTB Arrives

With a vote likely on Tuesday to determine the fate of New York City Off-Track Betting, some politicians and gamblers in Queens were unsure what the future would hold.

OTB parlors across the city were scheduled to be shuttered on Dec. 3, but the company's board of directors granted an extension until Tuesday night at Midnight.

The closure of the city's off-track betting parlors would put roughly 1,000 employees out of work.

New York City Off-Track Betting Chairman Larry Schwartz said in a statement that closing NYC OTB would likely be catastrophic to the racing industry in New York, as well as the families of those employed by the company.

"Closing NYC OTB is a complicated and costly prospect, with an immediate cost of as much as $20 million to state taxpayers as well as a fiscal impact on the counties of Nassau and Saratoga and the City of Yonkers," Schwartz said. "Closure would also mean the immediate loss of jobs statewide and a substantial loss of revenue to the racing industry and the state." 

Patrons at the in Forest Hills on Monday afternoon weren't so sure.

David Strauss, a racing fan who said he stops by the OTB several times a week, said he'd rather see the organization close than keep operating at a loss.

"I believe they should close it down," Strauss said. "There are better things they can do with that money. A lot of the OTB's in the city have become homeless shelters." Strauss said that the gamblers who spend much of their time and money at OTB parlors would probably find their way to local tracks, , if OTB parlors closed.

Bill Jarema, who was at the OTB with Strauss, said he wasn't in favor of the closure, saying it was "not a good thing to lay off 1,000 people in this economy."

Ahead of Tuesday's state senate vote, Forest Hills' state senators were somewhat cagey on their stances with regard to a financial rescue for the OTB.

D-Whitestone, said "OTB is losing money because too much of its cash goes to the state and the OTB affiliates outside New York City." 

Stavisky's colleague,, said he wasn't anxious to have the state cut the OTB a check.

"I'm very concerned about the jobs that will be lost if OTB shuts its doors, but New York State is in no position to write the agency a blank check. We would like to see OTB come up with a plan that shows they can better manage their money," Addabbo said. "I also believe the Senate should not make major cuts to Medicaid or to schools that would affect teachers' jobs for the sake of OTB, but I would be in favor of a measure that attempts to save hundreds of OTB jobs and restructures OTB to become more efficient." 

One OTB patron in Forest Hills, Robert Hilton, said he'd certainly be affected if the local OTB shut its doors.

"It's a lot easier than getting to the track, so it would definitely be a minor inconvenience," Hilton said. "I would save some money, though."