OTB patrons reflect on closings of 54 locations

For the past 10 years, Alipolito Santos made a habit of stopping by the Off-Track Betting branch on Delancey and Essex streets in Manhattan's Lower East Side while on his way to work.

Santos, who works nights as a parking attendant at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Times Square, says that he comes to the OTB to fraternize with old friends and bet on the horses. "It's entertainment before work," says Santos, 52, of Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The city Off-Track Betting Corporation board voted unanimously Wednesday to close 54 locations and slash as many as 800 jobs. Friday is the last day for gamblers such as Santos to enjoy the convenience and familiarity of their favorite OTB spots.

At the OTB branch on Park Place near Ground Zero, train engineer Evan Port thinks he may have placed his last bet at the same spot he's been to for the past 15 years. "I've lost a lot of money," admits Port, 45, of Mill Basin, Brooklyn. What upsets Port more is how the OTB has managed to bring itself to the brink of extinction.

"How does a legal bookmaking enterprise not make money?" he asks.

Other gamblers saw the OTB's closure as a blessing in disguise. "I'll save money. They'll do me a favor," said David Sing, 43, of Richmond Hill, Queens.

But while the closure will save gamblers money, OTB employees said they will be losing salary and medical benefits just as the holiday season gets into full swing.

to vote on a last-minute rescue and reorganization plan for the OTB that was approved Tuesday by the Assembly.

That vote won't take place until Dec. 7, said Austin Shafran, a spokesman for Sampson. A spokeswoman for Gov. David A. Paterson said that there are currently not enough senate votes to thwart the closure.

With AP