New York OTB to lose Pimlico next week
By Matt Hegarty
The signal from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore will be unavailable to customers of New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation after Saturday's Preakness Stakes card because of concerns about OTB's finances raised by the New York regulators, racing officials said Friday.
The decision to bar the signal from New York City OTB's parlors and account-wagering operation was made on Friday afternoon, shortly after the New York State Racing and Wagering Board backtracked on a decision to pull the Pimlico signal from OTB as of Friday morning. Joe Mahoney, a spokesperson for the board, said on Friday afternoon that the board decided to allow betting on the signal by New York City OTB customers on Friday and Saturday because of the interest by racing fans in the cards Pimlico will offer those days.
"This is the best result for the racing fans," Mahoney said.
Pimlico's 20-day spring meet began on April 17. After Saturday's Preakness card, Pimlico will not run again until next Thursday, and the meet will close next Saturday.
The decision to bar the Pimlico signal follows the board's decision earlier this month to bar wagering by New York City OTB customers on Arlington Park near Chicago, Chester Downs in Pennsylvania, Louisiana Downs, and Thistledown racetrack in Ohio.
According to Mahoney, the board has declined to approve any simulcasting contracts for New York City OTB until the corporation "satisfactorily" responds to a request to provide the board with additional information about its financial situation. New York City OTB, which is owned by the state, filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, and it is reorganizing under the protection of Chapter 9 of the bankruptcy code.
05-17-2010, 01:55 PM
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