WROTB Secures Lower Tax Rate

WESTERN REGIONAL OFF-TRACK BETTING CORPORATION
SECURES LOWER TAX RATE

State Budget Provision Allows WROTBC to Distribute Millions in Additional Funding to Local Governments and Enhance Employee Wages

May 16, 2025, Batavia, New York: Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation (WROTBC) today was joined by local elected leaders, board members, employees, and labor leadership to thank Governor Hochul, Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples Stokes, and the members of the State Legislature for securing a more equitable tax rate for Batavia Downs Hotel and Gaming in the 2025-26 New York State Budget.

The final State Budget effectively reduces the tax rate on net gaming revenues paid by WROTBC from 49 percent to 44 percent. The 5% reduction will enable the corporation to distribute millions of dollars in additional revenue to their 17 member municipalities, representing 2.7 million residents, and will help WROTBC’s hard-working employees with pay increases and offset the high cost of employee family healthcare. The previous tax rate disparity placed WROTBC at a structural disadvantage. Other privately owned gaming facilities in the region had a lower tax rate ranging from five to almost 12 percent.

“One of the first things I did as President and CEO was to reach out to leaders in Albany to make the case for reducing our tax rate so we can get even more dollars to our partners in local government, right size our employee wages and lower the cost of family healthcare coverage for our incredible employees. We are grateful they heard us loud and clear,” WROTBC President Byron Brown said. “For too long, we paid a drastically higher tax rate than neighboring gaming facilities. Thanks to the leadership of Governor Hochul, our champion in Albany Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples Stokes, members of the State Senate and State Assembly and the UPSEU Labor Relations Representative, we will now be able to get even more funds to local governments and recognize our employees for all of the hard work they do every day and their commitment to deliver exceptional service.”

Over the last five decades WROTBC has grown into a leading tourism destination in Western New York, currently operating an on-site 84-room luxury boutique hotel at Batavia Downs Gaming and a video lottery gaming facility with more than 940 gaming machines. WROTBC also operates eight traditional OTB branches, 24 EZ Bet locations, hosts more than 70 live harness racing days a year, has four restaurants and multiple state-of-the-art event spaces.

New York State Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes stated,
“I’m proud that my Assembly Majority colleagues and I were able to secure a reasonable tax cut for Western OTB that reinvests its savings into what matters: raises for hard working OTB employees and additional revenue for the surrounding host municipalities where OTB operates.”

WROTBC Board Chairman Dennis Bassett said, “This is a tremendous victory for the Corporation, our employees and our member municipalities will benefit greatly from this successful tax rate reduction. On behalf of the Board of Directors, we thank the Governor, State Legislators and especially Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes for their confidence in our corporation and our new management team.”

WROTBC is a public benefit corporation with headquarters in Batavia, NY. WROTBC has achieved remarkable growth over the past three years, with net win increasing from $66 million in 2021 to $90 million in 2024. They also just had their largest first quarter distributions to member municipalities since inception at the end of April 2025. Since its inception in 1974, WROTBC has generated more than $269 million in operating and surcharge revenues to the taxpayers of their 17 member participating municipalities.

Participating Municipalities include the cities of Buffalo and Rochester as well as Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Oswego, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, and Wyoming counties.

Antonella Rotilio, United Public Service Employee Union Labor Representative, added, “The Union is encouraged by the passage of this critical tax relief into benefit. Not only does this help ensure that more resources are directed into local communities, where they are most needed, but it also supports better wages for our members and more UNION jobs. This is truly a win-win. Better wages and increased employment opportunities mean more money flowing back into our communities, strengthening local economies and improving the quality of life for working families. We’re headed in the right direction, and we are grateful to Byron Brown and Steve Casey for their commitment to this effort and their willingness to rebuild a stronger, more collaborative relationship with the Union.”

“As a former Mayor, I know better than most the importance of any additional revenue to the bottom line. These funds help hold the line on local taxes and help fund critical services to assist communities every day. We are proud of the role we play in supporting our partners in local government across the region, and we look forward to building on that commitment for years to come,” WROTBC President Byron Brown said. “We could not have achieved this success alone and appreciate all of the support we received which will allow us to continue to provide guests with memorable experiences while recognizing our hard-working employees and the tremendous work they do every day to maximize returns to our member municipalities.”

WGRZ-TV COVERAGE VIDEO – WATCH HERE