Gambling on a younger clientele – NewsTimes – Danbury News Times

Photo: Carol Kaliff / Hearst Connecticut Media

Andy Uhl, left, of Granby, and Natarhj Gosavi, of Simsbury have lunch at Bobby V's Restaurant and Sports Bar in Windsor Locks, Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Andy Uhl, left, of Granby, and Natarhj Gosavi, of Simsbury have lunch at Bobby V's Restaurant and Sports Bar in Windsor Locks, Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Patrons watch races and place bets in the Bradley Teletheater in Windsor Locks Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Patrons watch races and place bets in the Bradley Teletheater in Windsor Locks Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Rich Mastrangelo of Springfield, Mass., left, and Cliff Lane of East Windsor, follow the horse races at the Turf Club Restaurant At The Bradley Teletheater in Windsor Locks Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Rich Mastrangelo of Springfield, Mass., left, and Cliff Lane of East Windsor, follow the horse races at the Turf Club Restaurant At The Bradley Teletheater in Windsor Locks Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Patrons watch races and place bets in the Bradley Teletheater in Windsor Locks Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Patrons watch races and place bets in the Bradley Teletheater in Windsor Locks Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Patrons of the Bradley Teletheater in Windsor Locks, head to the teller window to place bets, Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Patrons of the Bradley Teletheater in Windsor Locks, head to the teller window to place bets, Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Bobby V's Restaurant and Sports Bar in Windsor Locks has an age restriction in the betting area. Photo Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Bobby V's Restaurant and Sports Bar in Windsor Locks has an age restriction in the betting area. Photo Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Wagering terminals are available to patrons of Bobby V's Restaurant and Sports Bar in Windsor Locks, Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Wagering terminals are available to patrons of Bobby V's Restaurant and Sports Bar in Windsor Locks, Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Patrons sit at the bar at Bobby V's Restaurant and Sports Bar in Windsor Locks ,Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Patrons sit at the bar at Bobby V's Restaurant and Sports Bar in Windsor Locks ,Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Patrons visit the Bradley Teletheater in Windsor Locks, Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Patrons visit the Bradley Teletheater in Windsor Locks, Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Rich Mastrangelo of Springfield, Mass., studies statistics on upcoming horse races at the Turf Club in Windsor Locks Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Rich Mastrangelo of Springfield, Mass., studies statistics on upcoming horse races at the Turf Club in Windsor Locks Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Patrons watch races and place bets in the Bradley Teletheater in Windsor Locks Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Patrons watch races and place bets in the Bradley Teletheater in Windsor Locks Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Rich Mastrangelo of Springfield, Mass., studies statistics on upcoming horse races at the Turf Club in Windsor Locks Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Rich Mastrangelo of Springfield, Mass., studies statistics on upcoming horse races at the Turf Club in Windsor Locks Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Patrons watch races and place bets in the Bradley Teletheater in Windsor Locks Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Patrons watch races and place bets in the Bradley Teletheater in Windsor Locks Wednesday, June 14, 2017.

Bobby V's Restaurant and Sports Bar in Windsor Locks includes an OTB Teletheater. Photo Wed., June 14, 2017.

Bobby V's Restaurant and Sports Bar in Windsor Locks includes an OTB Teletheater. Photo Wed., June 14, 2017.

Bobby V's Restaurant and Sports Bar in Windsor Locks, Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Bobby V's Restaurant and Sports Bar in Windsor Locks, Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Gambling on a younger clientele

WINDSOR LOCKS - In 1946, a baker told a young Nick Chaclas not to get too interested in the horses.

This week, Chaclas was in his favorite betting carrel at the OTB Teletheater near Bradley International Airport, cheering with a pumping fist as the horses at Belmont Park cleared the final turn.

Then the 91-year-old World War II Navy veteran let out an expletive and turned away from the monitor.

What happened?

Nothing happened, Chaclas said with a laugh about his losing bet. He just died.

Chaclas didnt heed the bakers advice.

No, I didnt, did I? a smiling Chaclas said. I dont win too often, I can tell you, but I have been playing for 71 years and I havent got sick of it yet.

If Chaclas sounds like the quintessential off-track-betting patron, perhaps he is. But hes not the future of OTB.

Instead, the future of off-track betting in Connecticut is the new sports bar restaurant and OTB facility that opened Friday on Stamfords Atlantic Street - and a similar concept planned for downtown Danbury: a multi-generation place with upscale food, craft beers, scores of televised sports and off-track betting mixed in.

Not too many places have done what we have done to make OTB an entertainment destination, where you combine all these things in one property, says Ted Taylor, the president of Sportech Venues, which holds the exclusive OTB license in Connecticut.

Sportech, which has 16 OTB facilities statewide, believes it has found a growth formula in an industry that has been slow to engage the younger generation. The London-based company processes $13 billion in bets in 30 countries annually, and has recently invested $10 million to improve its facilities in Connecticut.

The wagering is just a piece of our overall DNA; we are evolving into food and beverage operator with wagering in our venues, said Paul Dionne, Sportechs director of marketing. We are not trying to hide it: If we are going to continue to do positive business in Connecticut, we need to be more than just horse-racing.

The state Legislature apparently agrees. Earlier this month, both houses passed legislation giving Sportech six more OTB licenses, for a total of 24.

The legislation, which is yet to be signed by the governor, is part of the changing gaming landscape in a state that is struggling with a $5 billion budget deficit over the next two years.

The state gets a 1.9 percent cut of every bet made at a Sportech OTB, or about $6 million annually. Local government gets its own 1.6 percent cut of every bet.

Stamford stands to get about $200,000 annually from the new Bobby Vs Restaurant & Sports Bar. In Danbury, where plans to open a similar venue have been set back by a lawsuit and a technical error during the approval process, the citys estimated annual share is $100,000.

The Danbury restaurant owner who has agreed to let Sportech spend $750,000 to transform his Ives Street eatery into a sports bar and wagering venue said the downtown entertainment district needs places that will attract crowds.

I had concerns initially about what type of concept this is, and how it is going to help the downtown, and what my average customer is going to look like coming in, said Tom Devine, owner of Two Steps Downtown Grille. I visited a couple of the Sportech facilities that are now high-end sports bars with gaming components, and the one in Stamford blew me away.

Stamford was built on the model developed in Windsor Locks - involving a partnership with former New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine and his restaurant business.

The Stamford venue boasts 200 high-definition screens, a family-friendly Bobby Vs restaurant on the first floor, and a 21-and-older sports bar and wagering venue on the second floor.

Taylor would not say where Sportech is looking to locate six more OTB venues in Connecticut. His priority is bringing the Danbury venue online first, he said.

Taylor added that the company is likely to invest first in existing venues such as Norwalk, where the food and drinks selection is limited to vending machines.

Betting on the future

The gaming landscape is changing. Nowhere is that clearer than in Windsor Locks, at the 38,000-square-foot facility where Sportech spent $4.5 million to create a Bobby Vs Restaurant and Sports Bar.

The restaurant portion of the building is a modern sports bar with 80 televisions and two dozen craft beers on tap. The dcor is bright. Middle-aged couples talk casually over cheeseburgers and salads.

The Teletheater portion of the building has a much older feel. Shaped like an auditorium with stadium-style seating, this is the part of the building where most of the betting happens. It has a 125 betting carrels - cubicle-like stations with monitors where men spread their race sheets for the best bets.

The wall they face is filled with large monitors featuring horse races, greyhound races, and a few jai alai matches. In the back of the Teletheater are a handful of tellers who take bets, although plenty of men use the betting machines beneath the race screens.

I am a handicapper par excellence, says Cliff Lane, 82, a retired salesman from East Windsor.

Hes kidding. He used to be a good handicapper.

You cant handicap these horses anymore - its impossible, Lane says with smile. What you have to do is bet the jockeys and the trainers.

So how is he doing so far?

The races havent started, so we are doing great, Lane says. We are in the hole about $30 counting programs and lunch.

Lane and his friend are among the retirees who make up the base of the sport.

This is the OTB old guard.

We look at this and we realize this cant be the future of our business, Dionne said during a recent tour of Windsor Locks. We want to bring better things than just a venue only for wagering.

The Danbury wager

Sportechs plans in Danbury are modest compared to those for Windsor Locks and Stamford, but the proposal has been set back by opposition and a technical error in the application.

Plans call for the conversion of Devines first floor into a restaurant and sports bar, with a separate entrance and an elevator to the 21-and-over second floor, where there will be a second bar and an off-track betting section.

Up to 20 betting carrels are planned in an atrium on the second floor, along with betting machines, a counter with two tellers, and restaurant seating for at least 80 people.

Some people may say that from a religious point of view, they are against gambling, and you cant argue too much with that, said Devine, who would lease the betting venue to Sportech. But when people talk about safety and you look at the scope of this project and the players that are involved, it just doesnt make sense.

Devine received approval from the citys Zoning Commission for the Sportech partnership. That cleared the way for him to seek final approval from the City Council.

But a businesswoman who just opened a caf downtown sued to overturn the zoning decision, arguing in part that there were technical errors in the application.

Specifically, Devines request for a zoning variance was not filed with Danburys clerk in advance of the public hearing as required. That means Devine will have to reapply for approval, a process that he has already begun.

This block has seen 55 places come and go in the time we have been here, Devine said. We need more draws to the downtown. A sports bar would do that.

rryser@newstimes.com; 203-731-3342

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Gambling on a younger clientele - NewsTimes - Danbury News Times