The Playwright was, to most who wandered in off of West 35th Street, a typical midtown Irish pub. But it had a secret identity. It was one of the few NYC OTBs that happened to be housed in an actual food and beverage establishment.
The Pennsylvania House June 22 passed an amendment that adds Internet gambling to a bill that would permit more slot machines in the state but stopped short of approving video gaming machines for bars, taverns, and private clubs.
Average daily pari-mutuel handle for the recent Laurel Park meet increased 34.6% from the comparable meet in 2015, the Maryland Jockey Club reported May 10.
Legislation that would end dog racing at Tucson Greyhound Park but allow the track to operate off-track betting parlors for another two years passed the Arizona Senate Finance Committee March 16.
Racing returns to Laurel Park March 11 after a more than three-week break as part of a new schedule that will allow the facility to capitalize on its expansive turf course.
Principals in Irish horse racing have extended an agreement for the distribution of live pictures and data through 2023, Horse Racing Ireland announced March 4.
The Maryland Racing Commission Feb. 22 gave the go-ahead to the Maryland Jockey Club to operate an off-track betting parlor at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.
For the second time in a week, the Maryland Racing Commission Feb. 16 put off voting on a proposed off-track wagering facility at the state fairgrounds in Timonium.
The Maryland Racing Commission has heard the pros and cons of allowing the Maryland Jockey Club to operate an off-track betting parlor at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium and will vote on the issue Feb. 16.
Jacobs Entertainment announced Jan. 8 the selection of Cushman & Wakefield-Thalhimer to sell the properties formerly used as off-track betting facilities in conjunction with its Colonial Downs in New Kent County, Va.
From 2011 through 2013, Maryland lost three of its four OTBs. Now the Maryland Jockey Club hopes to have five to six OTBs running by 2017.
New York's top fiscal watchdog said payments to racetracks, competition from advance deposit wagering entities, and sharply rising simulcast fees are contributing to increasingly perilous finances at five OTB corporations.
Woodbine Entertainment Group Aug. 24 said it will close its Turf Lounge off-track wagering facility in the Toronto financial district effective Sept. 5.
The Maryland Jockey Club's first casino off-track betting parlor has been doing pretty good business since it opened in late April, officials said Aug. 4.
New York's five off-track betting corporations said they have cut ties with Churchill Downs Inc. and won't offer signals from tracks owned by the company or tracks that contract with CDI to sell their simulcast signals.
Racing stakeholders fully understand that having sports betting at tracks in West Virginia is a 90-1 shot. But other things like off-track betting are a bit more realistic as they fashion a wish list to increase revenue.
New York off-tracking betting corporations will be permitted to dip into their capital funds to help pay for operating expenses under legislation given recent final approval by the New York lawmakers.
Pennsylvania lawmakers are examining legislation that would lower the minimum number of live racing days required at racetrack gaming facilities, and also allow each track to install slot machines at up to four OTW parlors.
As Monmouth Park prepares for its upcoming season, Dennis Drazin, who advises the track operators, said during May 5 luncheon the New Jersey facility is operating in the black.
Legislation designed to encourage Atlantic City casinos to offer full-card simulcasts -- or at least protect them at the one casino that still offers wagering on horse races -- was signed into law April 27.
Centaur Gaming Jan. 12 said it is closing its off-track betting parlor in Merrillville, Ind., not far from the Illinois and Michgan borders, because of declines in business.
The owner of Colonial Downs said the Virginia racetrack and its network of off-track betting parlors will close Nov. 1 if the Virginia Racing Commission doesn't approve its plan for live Thoroughbred racing in 2015.
Indiana Grand Racing & Casino has converted a 9,600-square-foot casino restaurant into an upscale off-track betting parlor that will be open year-round.
Penn National Gaming Inc. will open a new off-track wagering facility in southern New Jersey July 2. It will be the fifth OTW facility in New Jersey.
Attendance for the May 17 Preakness Stakes (gr. I) was believed to be about 117,000 as of 3 p.m. EDT with hopes by management that the final tally will be even higher.
While acknowledging its decision could jeopardize Thoroughbred racing in the state for this year or even several years, Colonial Downs says it has ceased negotiations with the Virginia HBPA.
Overnight purses at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots have been reduced 10% for the rest of the current race meet, track officials said Feb. 20.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed legislation to create a statewide standard for rebate programs at racetracks and off-track betting corporations.
Upgrading the on-site customer experience, be it for live horse racing or full-card simulcasts, is critical to the growth of the business, panelists said Oct. 7 on the first day of the International Simulcast Conference.
A New York lawmaker May 4 said he will introduce legislation authorizing off-track betting at New York City bars that offered it before New York City Off-Track Betting Corp. went bust and closed in 2010.
Declining handle is forcing the closure of the state's only freestanding OTB network.
There will be 77 Thoroughbred racing dates for 2013 under a schedule approved by the New Jersey Racing Commission Nov. 14. The dates were approved pending a review of the minutes of the meeting by Gov. Chris Christie.
A review of wagering on this year's World Championships indicated the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy cost Breeders' Cup roughly $9 million in pari-mutuel handle compared with 2011 figures, organization officials said.
A bill authorizing small offtrack betting operations in bars and restaurants, and another measure giving Atlantic City Race Course a larger chunk of revenue from casino race books, passed New Jersey legislative committees.
Lawmakers in New York said they plan to put off until next year passage of a measure permitting casino gambling in the Catskills resort region of the state.
The state Senate in New York has approved a measure to pick a new private company to run the closed New York City Off-Track Betting Corp., while the Assembly has backed a bill lowering a surcharge imposed on purses.
Eight entities have submitted bids to lease and operate Monmouth Park over a five-year period beginning June 1.
The operators of Aqueduct's future video lottery terminal casino have begun pressing state officials to permit table games at the facility and New York's other racetrack casinos.
Total pari-mutuel handle at New York Racing Association tracks was up 76% in the first month after the shutdown of New York City Off-Track Betting Corp., according to state officials.
A federal bankruptcy judge Jan. 25 dismissed the shuttered New York City Off-Track Betting Corp.'s Chapter 9 bankruptcy case, rejecting a motion by a union representing more than 1,000 fired workers.
The New Jersey Racing Commission Dec. 22 awarded full racing dates for 2011 and also licensed four off-track wagering facilities for the coming year.
Racetracks and OTB corporations in New York are circulating a draft agreement to permit live video streaming of races over the Internet -- a move supporters said could help pick up some business.
The New York City Off-Track Betting Corp., facing a shutdown later in the day, was given a four-day reprieve Dec. 3 when the state Senate is due back to consider passage of a bankruptcy reorganization plan
Legislation geared toward horse racing, Internet betting, and Atlantic City casinos moved closer to reality in New Jersey Nov. 22 as lawmakers voted to create big changes in the way people can gamble.
Officials said they are close to a deal to try to bring New York City Off-Track Betting Corp. out of bankruptcy protection, but that a final agreement is being blocked by several harness tracks in the state.
New Jersey lawmakers questioned the research behind a report on gaming and racing in the state Sept. 29 and suggested it left too many unanswered questions, particularly in regard to options for the horse racing industry.
A group of creditors involved in the NYCOTB bankruptcy proceeding has suggested a number of changes, including a 1% surcharge on wagers, according to a June document.
Penn National Gaming Inc. said June 17 it has sued Greenwood Racing -- its partner in Freehold Raceway -- over its failure to build an off-track betting parlor in Camden County, N.J.
Officials and horsemen at Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack are livid over a 12% purse cut they say was necessitated by the ongoing financial difficulties of New York City Off-Track Betting Corp.
More than 1,000 unionized workers at New York City Off-Track Betting Corp. are in still in line for pay hikes and severance deals but won't be paid until a long-term agreement is made.
