Do not be like mike

 

Michael S. Kim | Managing Partner Global Gaming & Hospitality michael.kim@gghsp.com Direct +1 (917) 509-2975 Mobile +1 (917) 509 2975 Claude Solnik (631) 913-4244 Long Island Business News 2150 Smithtown Ave. 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. New York Office 250 Park Avenue 7th Floor New York, NY 10171 Vcard