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In the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
,
off-track betting Off-track betting (or OTB; in British English, off-course betting) is sanctioned gambling on greyhound racing or horse racing outside a race track. U.S. history Before the 1970s, only the state of Nevada allowed off-track betting. Off-track bet ...
on
horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...
is offered by five regional, government-owned corporations. As of 2014, the five operators had a total of 89 betting parlors and 5 tele-theaters around the state. They accepted a total of $558 million of bets in 2016.


History

The
New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the Bicameralism, two houses that act as the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York: the New York State Senate and the New York State Assem ...
enacted its first off-track betting law in 1970, creating the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation and allowing other municipalities to establish their own OTB operations. The law was meant to curb illegal
bookmakers A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays out gambling, bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Harry Ogden, stood at Newmarket Racecourse, Newmark ...
and provide a revenue source for state and local governments. NYC OTB began taking bets in 1971. The City of
Schenectady Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...
followed in 1972 with its own OTB operation. The current system of regional OTB corporations was enacted in 1973 and parlors began showing live video feeds of races, referred to as
simulcasting Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...
, in 1984.


Current operations

As of 2025, off-track betting is offered by four regional corporations. Each corporation is a public benefit corporation, run by a board of directors who are appointed by the governments of the participating counties and cities. In addition to New York City, the ten counties that were once covered by Catskill OTB, thirteen other counties, Allegany,
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...
,
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
, Jefferson, Lewis, Onondaga,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, Otsego, Saratoga, Schoharie, Tompkins, Westchester, and Yates do not have any OTB parlors. Each of the OTB corporations accepts wagers at a number of full-service branch locations, at self-service terminals located in restaurants and bars, and by telephone and Internet. Out of each wager placed through OTB, approximately 77percent goes into the parimutuel pools for distribution to winning bettors. The remaining amount, known as the "takeout", is retained by the OTB operator. In addition, a surcharge of 5 or 6percent is deducted from most payouts to winning OTB bettors. From these revenues, payments are made to the state, participating counties and cities, racetracks, and funds to support the racing industry. After the OTB's operating expenses are paid, any remaining profits are disbursed to the state and the participating counties and cities.


Capital OTB

Capital District Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation covers sixteen counties including the cities of Albany and
Schenectady Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...
. It has 33 branch locations, including its flagship Clubhouse Race Book in Albany.


Nassau OTB

Nassau Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation, also known as Nassau Downs, covers Nassau County. It has six branch locations, including Race Palace, its flagship teletheater in Plainview. A 2013 law authorizes the corporation to run a casino with up to 1,000 slot machines; instead of opening a casino in Nassau County, that right was licensed to
Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack within ...
to enable an expansion of its Resorts World casino.


Suffolk OTB

Suffolk Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation covers Suffolk County. It operates four branch locations, including its flagship Racing Forum teletheater in Hauppauge. It owns and operates Jake's 58 Hotel & Casino in Islandia, under a law authorizing Suffolk OTB to run a casino with up to 1,000 slot machines. The corporation was under Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection from 2012 to 2020. Jake's 58 was opened in 2017 by
Delaware North Delaware North is an American multinational food service and hospitality company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. The company also operates in the lodging, sporting, airport, gambling, and entertainment industries. The company employs over 5 ...
under license from Suffolk OTB; it was purchased by the OTB corporation in 2021 for $120 million.


Western OTB

Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation covers fifteen counties in
Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all so ...
and the cities of Buffalo and Rochester. It has nineteen branch offices, and also owns and operates
Batavia Downs Batavia Downs is a harness racing Race track, track and casino in Batavia (city), New York, Batavia, New York (state), New York. It is located in Genesee County, New York, Genesee County between Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Rochester, New York ...
racetrack and casino.


Past OTB corporations


Catskill (1976–2024)

Catskill Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation covered ten counties in the
Catskills The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province and subrange of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined a ...
and
Southern Tier The Southern Tier is a geographic subregion of the broader Upstate New York, Upstate region of New York (state), New York State, geographically situated along or very near the state border with Pennsylvania. Definitions of the region vary wide ...
regions. Stand-alone OTB locations closed during the
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
pandemic in 2020 and never reopened. In 2022, Gov.
Kathy Hochul Kathleen Hochul ( ; ; born August 27, 1958) is an American politician and lawyer who has served since 2021 as the 57th governor of New York. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she is New York's List of female ...
released a long-buried report from the
Andrew Cuomo Andrew Mark Cuomo ( , ; born December 6, 1957) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 until his resignation in 2021. A member of the Democratic Party and son of former governor Mario Cuomo, ...
administration, accusing Catskill OTB of waste, mismanagement and hoarding broken equipment. That year, the New York State legislature is considering merging Catskill OTB with the more profitable Capital OTB however it was given a lifeline in the state budget for 2023-2024. As of 2023, it had 13 locations at various bars, pubs and restaurants. Catskill OTB officially ceased taking bets and closed its operations on November 30, 2024, though it was hoping new legislation and financial assistance could be secured to restructure and reopen at some point in the future. Bettor accounts were transferred to Suffolk OTB. In response, the Director of the
New York State Gaming Commission The New York State Gaming Commission is the official governing body that oversees casino gaming, charitable gaming, horse racing, lottery, and video lottery terminals in New York State. Based in Schenectady, it was formed on February 1, 2013, ...
blamed the closure on a "pattern of mismanagement that has plagued this organization for years."


New York City (1971–2010)

The New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation covered the five boroughs of
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. At its peak in the mid-1980s, it had over 150 betting parlors. Mayor
Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis Giuliani ( , ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and Disbarment, disbarred lawyer who served as the 107th mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney ...
attempted to privatize the corporation, and in 2001 the bid was won by Magna Entertainment and Greenwood Racing over a partnership between NYRA and
Churchill Downs Incorporated Churchill Downs Incorporated is the parent company of Churchill Downs. The company has evolved from one racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky, to a multi American-state-wide, publicly traded company with racetracks, casinos and an online wagering comp ...
. However, the state legislature never approved the deal, and his successor
Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman and politician. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P., and was its CEO from 1981 to 2001 and again from 2014 to 2023. He served as the 108th mayo ...
cancelled the process. In June 2008, NYC OTB was taken over by New York State. The corporation filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection in 2009, by which time it had only 66 parlors. On December 7, 2010, the New York City OTB permanently closed all of its parlors as part of its liquidation.


See also

*
New York Racing Association The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) is the not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest thoroughbred horse racing tracks in the state of New York (state), New York, United States: Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Q ...


References

{{reflist, 33em Sports betting Horse racing in New York (state) 1971 establishments in New York (state)