OTB Finish Line- Event

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OTB Finish Line

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Theater
Cinema Village
Category
Documentary
Address
22 E. 12th St
Location
New York,NY,United States,
Film Page
OTB Finish Line
Available Tickets
150
Ticket Price Rate
12.00
Start Date
06/10/2022 09:00 PM
End Date
06/10/2022 11:00 PM

For nearly 40 years, Off-Track Betting was New York City's only legal gambling operation. From 1971 to 2010, horse racing fans could walk into one of OTB's nearly 100 storefront parlors and legally gamble on horse races taking place all over the US without having to go to an actual racetrack. Off-Track Betting parlors were as infamous as they were ever-present. Each borough had the iconic green neon OTB logo seemingly on almost every corner. These parlors made their way into popular culture, famously in television episodes of Seinfeld and The Odd Couple, as well as on Comedy Central's Dr. Katz. OTB was established as a public benefit corporation, meaning its funds were used for schools, hospitals, and fire houses. At its height, NYC Off-Track Betting took in a billion dollars a year. Then in December 2010, greed, political ambition, and corporate mismanagement shuttered the operation. Directed by filmmaker (and former OTB bookie) Joseph Fusco, "OTB Finish Line" is the first documentary to tell the story of New York City Off-Track Betting, and is a tribute to the union workers and OTB fans whose lives were shattered by the demise of this once street culture icon. The award-winning film features interviews with legendary columnist Jimmy Breslin, activist Hazel Dukes, acclaimed author, the former Luc Sante, and former State Senator / current NYC Mayor Eric Adams. The film also includes former OTB workers and customers who tell the tale of a city that no longer exists, and a gambling empire that was supposedly too big to fail. "OTB Finish Line" tells the story of what happens when a billion-dollar bookie goes bankrupt.
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