How OTB Works

Series Summary

Off-track betting, or OTB, refers to sanctioned gambling on horse racing outside of a race track. At legal off-track betting parlors, if bettors win, they have to pay the parlor a surcharge taken directly from the winnings. Bettors in New York can avoid paying the surcharges by placing their bets via an off-track betting corporation's account wagering service or at places known as super branches or tele-theatres that charge a daily admission fee.

While gambling on horse races is a popular activity, some bettors don't live in areas where horse races typically take place. Subsequently, these people must rely on off-track betting to satisfy their needs. In this free video series, an off-track betting teller will teach you how to gamble at an OTB facility. You'll learn about general gambling laws and blackout days, how to read a simulcast screen, and what basic odds mean. You'll also learn how to place a few more complicated bets, such as an exacta, trifecta, or daily double. With these OTB tips, anyone of the proper age will be able to learn how to gamble on horse races even if they're not in town.

Video Transcript

"In this segment, we're going to cover off track betting. Here we are at an off track betting facility. There are many of them across the United States. An off track betting location is different from an on track betting location as in it does not have a live track with horses or dogs running. Instead, we televise our races and all the other races that we are taking that specific day. When you go up to a machine and place your bet, you're given a ticket. That ticket is electronically checked, tracked, just like an email. That email goes out and communicates with other emails. Once a race is completely finished and done. The computer system takes all those emails and finds out who's all winning. From the odds that are currently on those specific numbers, a dollar amount is associated with that. Basically when bets are placed, there's a pool of money. A percentage of that pool goes to the individuals state that, that bet was placed in, to the track that the bet was placed and then to the owner of the animal in which that race was running. Above and beyond that, that dollar amount is then divided up between all the winning tickets. And then paid out to the specific winning tickets. You must be eighteen or older to place your bet or to take bet at an off track betting facility or an on track betting facility."