Bloomberg vs. Paterson in OTB Showdown

It seemed like Gov. Paterson had managed to cobble together a deal for the State to take over NYC OTB yesterday afternoon and prevent its closing. A state takeover would require a vote by the legislature Monday, but Sheldon Silver and Joseph Bruno both seemed amenable to the idea. Mayor Bloomber, however, is holding fast on his insistence that he is going to close all of the city's OTB parlors tomorrow.

Gov. Paterson said "We have a deal," and told 1,500 OTB workers to show up for work Sunday. They may be showing up at the Governor's instruction, but they may find themselves locked out because Bloomberg has said that he will close the parlors, and he's sticking with that story.

Mayor Bloomberg says that he won't reconsider his position until certain details are worked out regarding substantial legal and economic issues. The Sunday deadline is something that the Mayor invented himself. This could all be a case of political hardball and brinkmanship, but it should be interesting to see how the contradictory orders of two powerful politicians play themselves out tomorrow.

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By Dave Hogarty in News on June 14, 2008 2:00 PM

Comments [rss]

dcsos

OTB raises money for New York City schools

all profits from this highly lucrative city gambling go directly to help our cities schools

How will we replace the funds from OTB our schools depend on?

When did this cease being true?

JacqueMehoff

this is gonna be good. I thought bloomberg was a bidnessman couldn't he reorganize OTB himself?

I'm surprised he used the word "bookie" to describe OTB, he's from the streets. douche.

jonathan

But where will all the old winos and hobos go to die?

ANGRYGOD11

Bloomberg make it very clear some time ago: NYC will not sacrifice a single teacher nor cop to finance a money losing OTB because Albany takes the profits away.

He's made a lot of mistakes, but this isn't one of them.

Peter

In news even more gripping and relevant than OTB's possible closing, it has been announced that last year's cotton harvest in Turkmenistan was almost double preliminary estimates.

blablanyc

If Bloomberg has his way and dissolves OTB, it will increase the amount of illegal gambling in NYS. An increase of illegal gambling has no public benefit to the city. Illegal gambling in NYS is already a multi-billion dollar industry. The city and state should show more support legalize for legal gambling.