Think back to the old days of Off-Track Betting parlors – cigarette smoke hanging like a cloud, extinguished butts smashed on the floor around hundreds of ripped betting slips. Back then, 25-cent gumball machines were the only cuisine option.
The OTB agencies on Long Island say they have come a long way since then.
With state-of-the-art tele-theaters, private carrels, VIP rooms, wide-screened televisions and even restaurants, OTBs like the Racing Forum in Hauppauge and Race Palace in Plainview appeal to high rollers, the merely curious and everyone in between. Racing Forum opened in 2001 and Race Palace debuted in February in the former Vanderbilt catering hall.
Tele-theaters give track odds to “good bettors.” In exchange for a $2 admission fee, these customers enjoy a 6 percent higher payout than at OTB parlors. But to expand the market beyond the typical OTB visitor – a 50-plus male retiree who drops in to play and visit with friends (or, as Anthony Apollaro, Suffolk OTB’s president and CEO, put it, “a dying breed”) – OTBs need to go further.
“If this business is going to survive, we have to tap new” blood, Apollaro said. “Why eliminate half the population? Why eliminate the women? Let’s make it friendly.”
That’s why Suffolk and Nassau OTBs are doing their part to pull in women and younger clientele. Both are refurbishing their existing branches. Suffolk is making a concerted effort to attract the business crowd. It provides customer service reps to educate newbies about the sport and is testing a new venue via a pilot program at Cavanaugh’s, a pub in Blue Point that features an automated OTB machine and shows the races.
Nassau, which opened a restaurant branch with a live cashier last October at Potters Pub in East Meadow, seeks sports enthusiasts in an effort to extend their interest in horseracing beyond the excitement around a potential Triple Crown winner at the Belmont Stakes in June.
But it’s hopefuls like Smarty Jones and Funny Cide that enable OTBs to draw in a new crowd. “There’s a day we’ll get thousands of one-time-only bets. It’s a perfect opportunity to show them” the excitement of the sport, Apollaro said. Provide these visitors with the right experience, he added, and they’ll say, “I’ll be back.”
Their efforts have enabled Suffolk to boost its handle from about $205 million in 2002 to nearly $211 million in 2003. And Nassau, which saw a handle of nearly $262 million last year, projects the handle to reach $300 million, thanks to the Palace, said Lawrence Aaronson, president of Nassau OTB. The OTBs then turn a percentage of the handles to the county, generating millions of dollars of profits annually. A portion also goes to the racing industry.
Aaronson said, “We have a commitment to make racing a mainstream entertainment. When we opened the Palace, I said, ‘We’re no longer in the OTB business. We’re in the hospitality business.' We want to expose more people to a fun sport.”
To that end, Nassau OTB is gearing up for football season by featuring the New York Giants and New York Jets exhibition game. On hand will be former Jets player Marty Lyons and former Giants player Otis Anderson, Aaronson said. Customers can “enjoy the game here and learn a little bit about horseracing,” he noted.
Although the Palace is just about 12 miles from the Forum, and does pull from the market along the Nassau border, Apollaro said he welcomes the competition. “Hopefully it’ll make us better,” he said.
Not to mention assist in OTB’s image-makeover campaign.
Suffolk OTB will enhance its 13 other branches, with the Bohemia and Farmingdale locations already completed, featuring larger screens, individual carrels and more comfortable seating, said Jeffrey Casale, Suffolk OTB’s vice president.
Plans are under way for Babylon and Southampton, which ultimately may feature a private high-rollers room, Apollaro said. Nassau, too, is refurbishing its 13 other parlors, including a refacing of the Franklin Square parlor and a “major upgrade” for Carle Place, increasing its space from 3,500 square feet to more than 7,000 square feet and featuring projection TVs, Aaronson said.
Suffolk regularly sends out direct-mail pieces to area businesses, inviting them to experience something new with clients and colleagues.
“Customer service reps answer questions and managers are trained to help,” Casale said. “A lot of people have never filled out a bet slip or used a machine, but we help them understand what’s happening. New people are interested in horseracing, but may not have the comfort level. We help them through it. It’s a nice feature; customers like it.” Also on hand are pamphlets that explain how to place a bet.
The Hauppauge Industrial Association held a “Night at the Races” at the Forum in November 2002, said Judi Schillaci, the HIA’s executive director.
Both Nassau and Suffolk OTBs are betting that newcomers will enjoy themselves and return.
Evan Bloom, who co-owned a Sir Speedy next door to Potter’s Pub in East Meadow before moving the operation to Westbury, called the location “a different kind of concept.” He says the venue helped increase traffic to the area.
“It’s a less intimidating environment for a casual bettor,” he said. “It’s the perfect opportunity for someone who is interested to try it.” |
