Tag: OTB

Jul 24

2025

A pay raise already for Byron Brown at OTB

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On the job less than a year, Byron Brown has already secured himself a raise at the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. Brown, hired as new president and CEO last fall, won a 3 percent raise Thursday, bringing his total pay to $303,850. That’s ahead of a contractual $10,000 raise scheduled to take effect in January, which will carry Brown’s total pay to nearly $314,000. Five other corporation officials were also granted 3 percent raises by a unanimous vote of OTB’s board. The raise Thursday solidifies Brown as the highest paid OTB leader across New York. The next-highest paid OTB[...]

Posted 4 months ago

Jul 3

2025

Report: OTB’s No. 2 helped himself to freebies

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An internal review at Western Regional Off Track Betting Corp. has found a senior executive spent more than $27,000 of the agency’s money on food and drinks for himself, his friends and other guests between 2021 and 2024. The executive in question, Chief Operating Officer Scott Kiedrowski, was the right-hand man of former CEO Henry Wojtaszek, who he succeeded a decade ago as chairman of the Niagara County Republican Party. Byron Brown kept Kiedrowski on when he took over as CEO in October and gave him a $17,000 raise, bringing his pay to $190,000. Kiedrowski is also the subject of[...]

Posted 5 months ago

May 14

2025

State to take smaller cut of OTB revenue

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Byron Brown speaks to reporters at Batavia Downs. Photo by Garrett Looker. Just six months into his tenure at the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp., former Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown netted the agency a major win in Albany. Tucked away in the state’s sprawling $254 billion budget that Gov. Kathy Hochul signed Friday is a provision that could save OTB between $4 million and $5 million per year by reducing the state’s take of revenues.  In exchange for the savings, OTB must submit an annual report to the Legislature and governor’s office outlining how it spent the millions it saved.[...]

Posted 6 months ago

Mar 28

2025

OTB settles lawsuit, pays whistleblower

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Michael Nolan, at one time the second-in-command of Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp., has settled a wrongful termination lawsuit with his former employer, related to his firing more than four years ago. As a result, OTB will pay Nolan a $550,000 settlement. In a statement saying the “long-standing litigation” had been resolved, OTB attorney John Owens said simply that “the parties are satisfied with the settlement.” OTB spokesperson Mike DeGeorge declined to comment further. Steven Cohen, Nolan’s attorney, also declined to comment. Owens said OTB will pay $150,000 of the settlement and its insurance company will pay the rest. Neither[...]

Posted 8 months ago

Mar 5

2025

Reforms, at last, at OTB

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OTB boss Byron Brown speaks to reporters at Batavia Downs. Photo by Garrett Looker. After years of scandal and critical audits, the governing board of the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. has agreed in principle to a slate of reforms that address some longstanding criticisms of the agency.  The course correction includes capping severance pay and travel expenses, putting more contracts out to bid, and tighter monitoring of promotional giveaways.  Also under consideration is whether OTB will purchase a suite at the new Buffalo Bills stadium. Not under consideration is termination of health insurance provided to OTB’s chairman and 23[...]

Posted 9 months ago

Feb 5

2025

OTB still doling out health coverage despite warnings

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OTB Chairman Dennis Bassett and then president and CEO Henry Wojtaszek. Photo by Garrett Looker In defiance of the state comptroller, the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. continues to provide gold-plated health insurance to its chairman and his wife, a dozen former board members and the widows of three others. In some cases, the former board members enrolled in the health plan haven’t served on the OTB board in two decades. Over the last three years, OTB spent an average of $149,000 annually providing the current and former board members with the insurance. OTB’s largess doesn’t end with the board. [...]

Posted 10 months ago

Jan 27

2025

Comptroller to audit OTB again

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For a third time in recent years, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office will audit the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. In a statement Monday, comptroller spokesperson Mark Johnson said the agency will audit “the financial operations of WROTB.” He said the comptroller’s office informed OTB of the audit last week and that it would begin in February. The review, broader in scope than the comptroller’s past audits, will take several months to complete, Johnson said. In a statement, OTB spokesperson Michael DeGeorge said the audit could include a review of agency finances stretching back three to five years.[...]

Posted 10 months ago

Dec 24

2024

OTB accuses whistleblower of ‘public smear campaign’

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Western Regional Off-Track Betting’s Batavia Downs. Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp has filed a counterclaim against a former executive turned whistleblower who maintains he was fired after he agreed to cooperate with investigations into alleged wrongdoing at the public benefit corporation. OTB’s counterclaim, filed Nov. 27, alleges that former Chief Operating Officer Michael Nolan breached his “fiduciary duty and duties of loyalty and confidentiality” to the organization while engaging in a “public smear campaign” designed to draw negative attention to WROTB and its outgoing CEO and President Henry Wojtaszek. The countersuit accuses Nolan of conspiring with his attorney, Steve Cohen,[...]

Posted 11 months ago
Investigative Post