Catskill OTB to cease accepting bets

The off-track betting organization serving the Hudson Valley plans to stop accepting bets at the end of the month, according to a post on their website.

The embattled gambling operator writes that it is pursuing legislative and regulatory action to enable them to restructure and offer more profitable gambling options so they can “resume sustainable operations.” The Catskill OTB doesn’t have branches anymore, but customers can bet with them on an online platform and “self-serve wagering” had been available at their partner bars and restaurants.

Off-track betting organizations were launched more than a half a century ago around the state, as a way for New Yorkers to bet on horse racing. The regional operations have struggled to adapt and compete with additional gambling options, with the New York City OTB closing in 2010 and the Suffolk County OTB filing for bankruptcy in 2012. The Western, Nassau and Suffolk OTB have been made financially viable because of revenue from electronic gaming.

“It’s almost impossible for these organizations … to adopt with the times,” Bennett Liebman, a former top racing and wagering official in New York, told The Capitol Pressroom in October.

In May of 2023, the Times Union reported that the Catskill OTB has been extended a lifeline in the state budget, which allowed them to use capital funds to cover operating costs. Earlier that year, Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed shuttering the Catskill OTB.

Catskill OTB customers will be able to cash tickets through Dec. 15, according to their website.