Deconstructing the New York City Off-Track Betting closure, Race Track Industry Program alumni Dan Silver met with students during the Joe Hirsch Forum to

shed some light on the event. Silver, director of communications for NYRA, analyzed the current outcome from the closure of off-track betting hubs in the state.

“It was a real case-study in crisis management,” said Silver. “Some of the early indicators have been encouraging, but it is still too early to make a definitive conclusion.”

Since the December 8, 2010 shutdown, Silver explained how NYRA has taken proactive steps to reassure former NYCOTB customers that there are other resources available to them. NYRA has set up a bus route specifically for shuttling customers from OTB sites to Aqueduct and has opened up the Belmont Café simulcast centre at Belmont Park. NYRA has also encouraged customers to take advantage of the company’s Advanced Deposit Wagering website NYRA Rewards by offering wagering promotions for both new and current customers.

Silver also spent time demystifying the inner workings of the NYRA Communications Department for students in the Marketing and Media class. Breaking down the administrative levels of both the communications and marketing departments, Silver explained the need for congruency between the two systems when managing 250 days of live racing.

“That’s one of the challenges: non-stop racing,” Silver explained. “But it’s doubtful in the near term that we’ll be making any drastic changes to the number of race days in New York.”

(With files from RTIP)