OTB

The competitive racing of horses is one of humankind's most ancient sports, having its origins among the prehistoric nomadic tribesmen of Central Asia who first domesticated the horse about 4500 BC. For thousands of years, horse racing flourished as the sport of kings and the nobility. Modern racing, however, exists primarily because it is a major venue for legalized gambling.
Horse racing is the second most widely attended U.S. spectator sport, after baseball. In 1989, 56,194,565 people attended 8,004 days of racing, wagering $9.14 billion. Horse racing is also a major professional sport in Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and South America.
By far the most popular form of the sport is the racing of mounted THOROUGHBRED horses over flat courses at distances from three-quarters of a mile to two miles. Other major forms of horse racing are harness racing, steeplechase racing, and QUARTER HORSE racing.

The HorsesThe Thoroughbred breed originates from the Middle East, where centuries ago Arab rulers bred their great stallions to select mares in the hopes of producing faster and stronger horses. The lineage, or family history, of a horse is known as its pedigree. Soon after a horse's birth, the owner and/or breeder registers it with The Jockey Club, the official racing record keeping organization for the breed.
What's in a Name?
Thoroughbred names can be classy, quirky, clever or just plain odd. Racehorse names can be no longer than 18 letters (this is so they can fit in the racing program) and must not contain profanity. All names must be approved by The Jockey Club.
To be approved, a horse's name must be publicly available. Each year, thousands of names are released for public use by the Jockey Club. Some names, like Secretariat, are permanently retired and will never be used again.
To register a horse's name or check on the availability of a name, use the Jockey Club's online names database. To get ideas for your horse name from those released each year, check the Jockey Club's list of recently released names.
Some Thoroughbred owners delight in thinking up clever names for their horses. Often they combine elements of the mother and father's names; sometimes they're just tongue-twisters. Owner Caesar Kimmel had track announcers all over the country tied up in fits when he named his top filly Flat Fleet Feet.
The Thoroughbred On The Track
Today, Thoroughbreds generally begin their racing career at age two (Remember, all racehorses have a universal birthday of January 1), and remain racing as long as they are main competitive or until retirement for breeding purposes. A Thoroughbred is not considered an adult horse until it is five years of age, so when they begin their career at age two or three, they are really just developing children and teenagers. Horses go through a lot of growing pains and changes during this time. Often you will see precocious two-year-olds that are touted as next year's Kentucky Derby favorite that end up no where to be seen come that first Saturday in May.
Most everyone in racing will tell you that their dream is to see their horse in the Derby winner's circle, but with some 35,000 foals born in the United States each year, and only 20 maximum make it to the race, reality sets in quickly.
So even if a horse doesn't make the Derby, there are plenty of opportunities for a horse to be successful on the track. As a horse develops, it usually acquires a certain racing style; whether it is a front-runner or off-the-pace type, or maybe it prefers racing on turf rather than dirt. There is the rare animal that is comfortable no matter how the race develops or on any type of track, able to adapt to every situation. Whatever their style, the bettor needs to compare it to the rest of the horses in the field and see how the race might unfold.
Handicapping the horses and their styles is the toughest part of the game. If the animal could talk, handicappers would know exactly how every horse was feeling come race day, like a pro athlete in a pregame interview. Unfortunately, that luxury does not exist, so the bettors have to rely on their skills to pick a winner. Horses have tendencies, but they can be difficult to spot. Good handicappers don't get overwhelmed when they are dissecting a race; they don't bet every race, rather wait for the best opportunity, when they find a horse or two they really like. The soundest advice would be to look at a horse's record, also known as his past performances, and determine their chance of winning today's race.
The past performances are just that; they tell you what a horse has done his last several races. In addition, the program also has stats that tell you how they have performed on the dirt and turf courses, at the distance of today's race, on an "off" track (one not listed as fast), their race record for this year, last year, and lifetime, and recent workouts. All this information is there to help compare and contrast the horses in each race.

Specifying Horses and Races: 1. Horses are identified by saddlecloth number, not by name.
2. Clients are responsible for their selections of both horse and race numbers.
3. When you wager on a horse that is coupled, your wager includes all horses running under said number. If a horse is coupled with others, if you bet on any of them, you receive all horses running as part of the entry. If part of an entry is scratched and part of an entry runs, all wagers have action. There is no “must go” action as part of the entry. If one of the entry horses runs, all wagers and bet types have action.
4. House Quinella's maximum payoff is 102/2
Scratches:
1. If a horse is scratched, all Win/Place/Show bets will be refunded and the portion of Exacta/Trifecta/Superfecta/Quinella Combos that contain the scratched horse will be refunded. (Please see rule regarding entries).
2. For Daily Doubles, if a horse is scratched before the second leg, a consolation will be paid on that combo, as specified by track payouts.
3. For Pick 3's and Pick 4's, if a horse is scratched in any leg, you will receive the track favorite or any consolation payoffs.

While the concept of an off-track betting system was approved by New York City voters in a 1963 referendum by a three-to-one margin, the official history of the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation began on April 22, 1970. That is the date that Governor Nelson Rockefeller signed into law two pieces of legislation which established the structure of off-track wagering. NYC OTB was designated to operate as a public-benefit corporation, a relatively new form of governmental entity run along the lines of a private enterprise whose profits accrue back to the taxpayers in the form of public revenue. The mission given us was three-fold: to raise needed revenue for the City and State, to combat organized crime's hold on gambling by providing a legal alternative and to help New York State's racing industry.Less than one year later, on April 8, 1971, Howard Samuels, the first President and Chairman of the Board, saw NYC OTB open its doors and become the first legal off-track pari-mutuel wagering operation in the country. The Corporation opened with two Branch Offices and a Telephone Betting Center and had an opening day handle of $66,091.Our first Teletheater, the Inside Track in Manhattan, opened in 1986. For an admission fee, the bettor would receive track odds. In 1997 we opened the first Restaurant location at Mary McGuires in Queens. Now, with a total of three Teletheaters and nine Restaurants, we offer the opportunity to enjoy a dining experience like no other. You can wager, watch the races and enjoy a wonderful meal in a great atmosphere all at the same time. The Branch Office network has evolved from a handful of manually supported branches with limited capabilities into sixty full-service branch offices plus Restaurants and Teletheaters throughout the five boroughs, accepting approximately 1.6 million sales transactions, on average, per day. To date, NYC OTB experienced its highest handle in Fiscal Year 2006, with approximately $1.071 billion in bets. Immediately upon its opening, NYC OTB saw the need to provide additional services to its customers and put much effort into accomplishing it. By August 1971, all Branches were on line with an all-betting and all-cashing computer system; our betting system is periodically updated with state-of-the-art technology. By the close of Fiscal Year 1979, live calls from NYRA tracks were heard in a limited number of Branches, which are now heard throughout our entire system. A major piece of legislation, which was originally passed in 1981 and expanded many times through the years, allowed for the broadcasting of live racing (simulcasting) into our locations. In 1993, the Corporation began installing self-service betting terminals and also began upgrading our customer amenities with the installation of rest rooms and seating.While our Telephone Betting Center has been in operation since the Corporation's inaugural day (opening with approximately 3,000 accounts), the number of accounts skyrocketed when in-home simulcasting began in March 1995. By 1997, our customers could also utilize a touch-tone activated Automated Telephone Account Betting (ATAB) system to place bets. We currently have approximately 17,000-18,000 active accounts and the Center has grown into the highest handle phone wagering system in the country today.As a result of the increased interest in in-home wagering, broadcasting began in 1997 on the first NYC OTB produced television show. In February 2000 the NYC OTB Racing Network was born, with a number of different shows airing throughout the year. The Network provides viewers with a front row seat to view the races and informational programming to increase their knowledge of the sport.The history of the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation is also part of the history of New York City. We employ approximately 1,500 people throughout our Branch system, support services and Corporate Headquarters. We maintain a fair and equal opportunity hiring practice for all segments of our society. We are active members of the communities in which our locations are situated. Through the years, we have supported a number of worthy charitable organizations, including Toys for Tots, food drives, Bring Your Daughter To Work Day, the annual blood drive, the March of Dimes and the Twin Tower Fund.NYC OTB has had huge growth in our over thirty year history. However, we will continue to strive to make improvements to the product we deliver, to provide up to the minute technology and to integrate additional amenities into our locations.