The NY Racing product is a good one, and it's good to see that while intrastate OTB handle is down, the product is being wagered upon by bettors using other outlets. 

From The Thoroughbred Times: In comparing Thursday’s Aqueduct card—the second contested since the closure of New York City Off-Track Betting—to comparable racing cards, it appears that at least some displaced bettors are finding new outlets.

From pressofatlanticcity.com, a disturbing article about horse racing in New Jersey. 

From the NY Daily News: 

The closure of New York City Off-Track Betting marks the painful but necessary demise of a government-run gambling operation that had long outlived its usefulness.

Incoming Gov. Andrew Cuomo must seize the shuttering as the opportunity to overhaul the state's relationship with the horse racing industry. It's time for New York to get out of the business of running gambling parlors, to stop subsidizing the state's dying tracks and to let private operators try to make a go of it.

From bloodhorse.com, pretty dire news for New York racing:

The state Senate in New York Dec. 7 rejected a reorganization plan for the New York City Off-Track Betting Corp.—and the OTB proceeded with its shutdown plan on Wednesday, Dec. 8. As part of the shutdown, three parlors will remain open for six days for bettors to cash tickets or withdraw money from their ADW accounts.

A spokeswoman for New York Gov. Davd Paterson said the OTB will not re-open Wednesday morning for business.

For the rest of the story: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/60247/nycotb-shuts-down-after-senate-rejects-plan

A big uh-oh for New York OTB…

From bloodhorse.com: 

The state Senate in New York Dec. 7 rejected a reorganization plan for the New York City Off-Track Betting Corp.—and the clock began ticking on a threatened midnight shutdown of one of the nation’s largest bookmaking entities.

The measure failed by three votes after intense maneuvering throughout the day and a blistering lobbying effort by tracks and other off track betting companies.

The OTB needed the authorization bill from the Legislature in order to return to federal bankruptcy court with a plan to emerge from its Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection.

From the San Gabriel Tribune, hopefully the start of a trend:

Christmas will come 19 days early for anti-synthetic fans and horsemen Monday morning when Santa Anita unveils its new dirt main track by reopening for training in advance of its traditional Dec. 26 opener.

Barring an unforeseen amount of rain this weekend, horses will begin working over the new surface, which consists of 90 percent sand and 10 percent clay, at 4:30 a.m. and continue until 10.

Santa Anita management has asked trainers to take it easy the first few days and jog their horses rather than breezing them to allow them to get comfortable with the track and let the dirt settle.

For the rest of the story: http://www.sgvtribune.com/sports/ci_16773220

The New York City Off-Track Betting Corp. could get a last-minute reprieve from its threatened shut-down following a promise Dec. 2 by the New York state Senate to return to the Capitol next week to take up a reorganization bill for the state-owned entity.

NYCOTB is scheduled to cease its operations at the close of business Dec. 3, the first anniversary of its Chapter 9 bankruptcy petition filing, after the Senate left town this week following a one-day special session without taking up an OTB reorganization plan.

The bailout plan—backed by its bankruptcy creditors, including the New York Racing Association, but opposed by a number of racinos and other OTB corporations—was approved this week by the Assembly.

For the rest of the story: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/60174/nycotb-could-be-reprieved-by-senate