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Possible OTB in Homewood

July 4, 2007

An off-track betting room, owned and operated by Arlington Park race track, has been proposed for inside Leona's Restaurant, 17501 Dixie Highway.

Arlington Park would add 45 plasma and LCD televisions and self-service and manned wagering terminals as part of a $200,000 investment.

Homewood would get about $75,000 per year, or 1 percent of the estimated total revenue from the OTB facility.

"What we do, in conjunction with the restaurant, is add off-track wagering to their establishment," Dan Leary, Arlington Park's communications director, said. "We are very community-oriented, and it's important that they want us. And they (Homewood officials) indicated that they do want us."

Mayor Richard Hofeld said Arlington Park approached the village with the proposal.

"This is not an OTB parlor as you would see in Crestwood," Hofeld said. "And really, it's more of way to bring more business into Leona's."

Village attorney Chris Cummings said the plan meets village requirements, including that the OTB room be within a commercial zone and be more than 500 feet from a church and the residences of more than 50 registered voters.

Cummings said pari-mutuel betting is the only kind of gambling permitted in Homewood, which for 51 years was the home of a major race track, Washington Park, before it burned down in 1977.

The Illinois Racing Board is scheduled to hear on July 10 Arlington Park's request for a license to operate the OTB room.

"They already have permission from the village, so this is the final step to get the license," Mickey Ezzo, spokesman for the racing board, said.

If the license is granted, Leary estimated that the OTB room could open as early as Oct. 1.