After 72 years in business, Scarborough Downs Off Track Betting (OTB) in Maine has decided to shut down its operation permanently, with the closing of its off-track betting club.
The business has been experiencing financial difficult for close to 20 years and currently employs ten people on site.
Scarborough Downs OTB President Denise Terry said: “[With] the expenses, it just all doesn’t add up for me to hold on. Unfortunately, I was not able to figure a way to make it all continue.”
Terry said that she was in favor of a legislative effort that would have allowed OTB sites to offer mobile betting and sports wagering.
The property was sold in 2018 to a group of developers. From then until the end of 2020, the track continued to remain open and host live harness racing. Its final race day was November 28, 2020.
Since the end of 2020, Scarborough Downs has remained active via its off-track betting club until this week.
Terry said that facility made the decision to shut down for good last week.
Spokesman Michael Sweeney said he believes that shutting down permanently and moving on with something new is what is best for the track and for the industry, given Scarborough’s current financial state.
He commented: “They need to move forward with a more modern state of the art facility, and that's something that Scarborough Downs just cannot provide the industry.
“We've always been strong proponents of the harness racing industry here in the state of Maine. We want to do the right thing by the industry.”
