Catskill OTB opposes Tioga

Published reports today state Catskill Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation has asked the New York State Racing and Wagering Board to not license Tioga Downs. Catskill OTB president and CEO Donald Groth reportedly said any license approval to Tioga would: 1) Reduce the OTB revenues that the local and neighboring counties have been getting; 2) Take racing and gaming business away from Catskill OTB betting parlors and other tracks such as Monticello Raceway; and 3) Add another money-losing racetrack to a state already oversaturated with racetracks."

The story published in the Press & Sun-Bulletin quotes Groth as saying, "No businessman should be going into the harness racing business just as an admission ticket to get into the VLT business."

Tioga Downs owner Jeffrey Gural responded by saying, "For Catskill OTB to say we shouldn't get a license is ridiculous. If the state wasn't going to give us a license, they should have told us before we built the place. Without a license, we can't open."

Tioga Downs is expected to open around Memorial Day for simulcasting with an announced start date of live racing set for June 9. A spokesman for the New York State Racing and Wagering Board said it could still be about a month before the board decides whether to approve the license application.

"Let Catskill OTB compete for the betting public's dollar," said Gural. "This is a free country...People have a choice...it would be better if we tried to work together to create more racing fans rather than compete with each other.

"I'm 100 percent certain that we're going to get a license to race at Tioga. Tioga Downs will be the nicest small track in the country."

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