All bets are on for Woodbridge OTW BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer Most came for the curiosity and the convenience. "I wanted to see how it is," said Pete Petrosino, of Perth Amboy, who said he has been betting on races since he was 16 years old. ANDREW MILLER staff Tracy Brown [l] of Woodbridge, Joe Bernisky of Woodbridge, and Dennis Kocsi of Roselle test out the new betting stations Oct. 17 during opening day of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority's first off-track wagering facility in Fords. Petrosino joined the hundreds who filed in and out of the 23,000-square-foot off-track wagering facility [OTW] and the McLoone's at Favorites restaurant on Lafayette Street in Fords during the facility's opening day Oct. 17. The facility opened at 11 a.m. and closed by midnight. Photos of memorable moments and celebrities, from New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and former Yankee Yogi Berra to actors Joe Pesci and Bill Murray at the state's Monmouth and Meadowlands racetracks, line the walls as patrons walk into the facility. "I usually travel to the Freehold and Meadowlands [racetracks]," said Petrosino, who took a seat at the bar and surveyed the bar menu. "I have gone to the racetracks ever since they opened [in the 1970s], but rather than traveling 25 miles to Freehold today, I decided to travel three miles and check the place out. It's a nice place and has plenty of machines. It's close and convenient." ANDREW MILLER staff Danny "Sonny" Minucci of Woodbridge looks through a simulcast racing program while sitting at a betting station during opening day of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. The NJSEA announced the grand opening with a cocktail reception on Oct. 16. "We had approximately 500 people come to the reception," said Alex Dadoyan, assistant vice president of off-track wagering and simulcasting for the New Jersey Sport and Exposition Authority [NJSEA]. Throughout opening day, the televisions simulcasted races from Freehold Raceway, Belmont Park, Delaware Park and Keeneland. Woodbridge houses state's first OTW The OTW named Favorites at Woodbridge is the first New Jersey State-owned and -operated luxury OTW facility. The posh teletheater offers horse racing fans luxury box-style seating with a flat-panel television at each of its 205 stations. Horse racing from across the globe as well as other major sporting events will be shown at the facility. A 2001 state statute authorized the establishment of up to 15 licensed off-track wagering facilities for horse races run at tracks in New Jersey. The state has rights to build nine of the OTWs. "This is historic because it's the first one," said Dadoyan. "We are currently looking at other sites for another site, but nothing is set yet." Dennis Dowd, NJSEA's senior vice president of off-track wagering, said Woodbridge Township's location fit when they scoped out a place for their first OTW. "We were looking for a place where we would have the highest likelihood of success," he said. "[Woodbridge] came to mind because it has a good population and has highway access." The NJSEA first approached the township when they presented the concept of the OTW to the late Mayor Frank Pelzman in November 2005. "He was cautiously receptive," said Dowd. The NJSEA looked at other sites in the township before they applied to spend $6 million to turn the old A&P store at 3 Lafayette Road in Fords into a state-ofthe art off-track wagering facility. A notice was hand delivered to the township on May 12, 2006. Township officials including the late mayor, and state Sen. Joseph Vitale (D- 19), Councilmen Richard Dalina and James Carroll, and Police Chief William Trenery visited a similar OTW in Philadelphia in June. "We had a public hearing [in Aug. 2006] where many people voiced their concerns about the facility, but the same amount of people were in favor of it." The state approved of NJSEA's application in September 2006. The Township Council supported the state's OTW; however, the council withdrew its support after public dissent in August 2006. Council President Brenda Velasco said on behalf of the council that they do wish success to the NJSEA and the McLoone's at Favorites with their business endeavors. "What can we do? It's here," said Velasco. "I'm not a gambling person, but I'm looking forward to the food." Facility is ready for Breeders' Cup Tim McMahon, the restaurant's director of operations, said they had 25 servers, six bartenders, 20 cooks, four hostesses and four managers on hand for opening day. "We're ready for anything," he said. Ron Reed, who said he has been betting on races for 37 years, traveled from Edison to come check out the facility. "It's a nice place," said Reed. "I'm not sure how they are going to do when they are busy … as long as you can get a bet in." Reed said he occasionally goes to the Meadowlands Racetrack, but said he would try to come to the facility in Woodbridge for the Breeders' Cup, which will be simulcast from Monmouth Park on Oct. 26 and 27. "We will be staffed to the max that weekend," said Dadoyan. This year, the Breeders' Cup, which attracts global attention, will be held at Monmouth Park in Oceanport. "It's the biggest day in New Jersey racing, since it will be held in the state for the first time," said Dadoyan. McMahon said the restaurant [as of Oct. 17] already has 50 reservations for the Breeders' Cup weekend. "We are offering a five-course meal for $50 during the cup, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.," he said. McLoone's at Favorites restaurant is family oriented McLoone's at Favorites offers an upscale 164-seat dining area. The food and beverage portion of the facility is approximately 14,000 square feet and consists of a kitchen and storage area, main dining area, a 1,000-square-foot bar area, dining area adjacent to the bar area that has an additional 100 seats, and an NJSEA VIP room. A café dining area, which seats 65 guests, will offer casual fare. There are 397 seats available for the food and beverage area, and there are 366 parking spaces. Tim McLoone, owner of McLoone's at Favorites, said he wouldn't have entered into an agreement with the NJSEA in May if he weren't 100 percent ready. "I'm ready as sure as can be," he said. "We're offering upscale dining for the whole family. We're offering three levels of food service from full service to a tapas menu, which is a small plate that does not take up space while patrons are at the stations." McLoone said the relation of his restaurant with the OTW was symbiotic. "My father [Joe McLoone] worked for Freehold Raceway [as president and general manager] for many years," he said. "I can understand why people might be nervous of the off-track wagering facility because of the off-track betting [OTB] facilities in New York." "But that is not the case in New Jersey," he said. "We were recruited by the NJSEA because we are family oriented and can cater to all ages." McLoone said there would be video screens, but there would be a separate entrance into the restaurant facing Ford Avenue. "Patrons can come with their family and enjoy a burger and not know that there is gambling going on," he said. McLoone's at Favorites is McLoone's third restaurant. He owns McLoone's Rum Runner in Sea Bright and McLoone's Pier House in Long Branch, both in Monmouth County. McLoone added that all his restaurants have 'gone green' recently. "We are the first restaurants in New Jersey to be certified green by the Green Restaurant Association," said McLoone. "This has been ongoing where we use different cleaning supplies, change the light fixtures, and change how we recycle." Proposed bill mandates 4 percent of OTW's net wagering revenue to township Colonia resident Louis J. Garbarini said the facility was a class operation and a good thing for Woodbridge. "I don't bet a lot, but I've been to the OTBs in New York City and I go down to the track occasionally," he said. Garbarini added that the facility was good for the township because of bill S-2632, which is sponsored by state Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-19). The bill would require the operator of an off-track wagering facility to make an annual payment of 4 percent of the facility's net wagering revenue to a host municipality when the facility applies to renew its license. The bill was unanimously approved by the Senate Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee in June and could be considered by the state Senate sometime this fall.