Another stipulation was that no OTB parlor was allowed to operate within 60 miles (97 km) of a track. The 1978 Interstate Horseracing Act struck a compromise between the interests of horse tracks and owners, the state, and OTB parlors, and stipulated that OTB revenues were to be distributed among the tracks, the horse owners, and the state. In New York City, the thought was that legal off-track betting would increase revenue while at the same time decrease illegal gambling activity, but one effect of the legalization was a decrease of revenue at racetracks. By the 1970s there were 100 betting parlors in New York City, and twice that number by the late 1980s. Off-track betting in New York was legalized in 1970, after years of unsuccessful attempts.
Off-track betting (or OTB in British English, off-course betting) is sanctioned gambling on greyhound racing or horse racing outside a race track.īefore the 1970s, only the state of Nevada allowed off-track betting. ( November 2018) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject.