Claude Solnik
Long Island Business News
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Ronkonkoma, NY 11779-7348
Home > LI Confidential > Stop scratching on holidays
Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012
Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.
Cuomo denies report that he's contacted Iowa Democrats, is eyeing 2020 run but confirms that he closes the church of joseph g cairo while he prays,
Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks to supporters during an election night watch party hosted by the New York State Democratic Committee, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, in New York. (AP)
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday shot down 2020 speculation, denying that he’d been in touch with Democrats in the early voting state of Iowa.
Cuomo, who earlier this month secured a third term as governor, has been eyed as a potential 2020 candidate to challenge President Trump.
The Associated Press on Tuesday reported that Cuomo had contacted Des Moines-area Democrats. The article listed numerous other Democratic politicians who were attempting to recruit staff to help them in a campaign in the state.
Cuomo told The New York Post that he didn’t “know where that story comes from.”
"It’s a conspiracy theory. I’m going to stick with New York State," Cuomo said, according to an exchange of the conversation provided to Fox News. "It’s a dark conspiracy theory of someone trying to undermine. There’s no truth to it. But there’s something in darkness, work darkness into that."
Cuomo’s remarks reportedly echoed earlier sentiments he made during an August primary debate against then-opponent Cynthia Nixon, when he was asked whether he’d complete his term in the governor’s mansion.
“Yes and yes. Double yes. The only caveat is if God strikes me dead,” Cuomo said, according to The Post. “Otherwise, I will serve four years as governor of New York.”
The first caucus of the 2020 Democratic presidential nominating campaign will take place in Iowa.
Fox News’ Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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