Suffolk OTB benefits county greatly
The Racing Forum in Hauppauge, operated by Suffolk OTB. Credit: Suffolk OTB
Newsday's editorial "OTB's a losing ticket" [April 3] missed the mark. Suffolk Regional Off-Track Betting Corp.'s Chapter 9 filing does not saddle the county with any Suffolk OTB debt. At last count, in 2009, Suffolk OTB sent the county $2 million. Over the last 35 years, Suffolk OTB has provided the county and its taxpayers a total of over $200 million, at no cost to the county.
The editorial would have your readers believe that OTBs have no restraining effect on illegal bookmaking. But illegal bookmaking has picked up the slack in the wake of New York City OTB's demise, with no concomitant increase for any government coffers, horse breeders or purses.
The editorial goes on to say that "bets on horses racing in New York State can be made on offshore and out-of-state Internet sites." Many would argue that such wagering is illegal, and any wagers conducted through such means yield absolutely no revenue for local government or the racing industry. Furthermore, the fact that these entities do not make regulatory and statutory payments bestows upon them an unfair competitive advantage vis-à-vis OTBs and the tracks.
In pointing to OTB support of the racing industry as a prime reason for our current struggles, the editorial misses a critical distinction. Suffolk OTB and the other OTB regions have never disputed the payments that we make to the horse breeders or the portion of payments to the tracks that goes to support purses. Our argument is with sending millions of dollars to privately owned tracks -- all of which get millions of dollars on their own from video lottery terminals. We believe that much of that revenue should go to support Suffolk County and its taxpayers.
Rather than walking away, Suffolk OTB is using Chapter 9 protection to implement our reorganization plan and emerge a stronger and more profitable corporation.
Jeffrey A. Casale
Editor's note: The writer is president and chief executive of Suffolk Regional Off-Track Betting Corp.
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