Buffalo Grove OTB could be on the move

Buffalo Grove's off-track betting facility, allowed by village officials in 2009 despite some vocal opposition, could be pulling up stakes from its location near Lake-Cook Road and Milwaukee Avenue.

The OTB is hoping to find either a new partner at the same location, inside the former Adam's Roadhouse at 301 N. Milwaukee Ave., or another home in Buffalo Grove.

But so far it's proving to be an uphill battle, said John Walsh, director of OTB operations for Hawthorne Racecourse.

“We are trying to find a place in the area, but it's very difficult,” he said. Deputy Buffalo Grove Village Manager Ghida Neukirch confirmed that the village is in talks with Hawthorne, which operates the OTB, about another location.

“Nothing has developed to date,” she added.

Among the difficulties is finding a site suitable under state regulations and local zoning laws. Those laws prevent an OTB from operating within five miles of Arlington Park or 500 feet of a place of worship or a school.

“We would love to be there (in Buffalo Grove),” Walsh said. “It's just hard to find a big enough restaurant.”

Walsh said Adam's Roadhouse discontinued its restaurant operations about two months ago after the property went into receivership. Since then, Hawthorne has been running the operation on its own, serving soft drinks and prepackaged food.

“We are in there and doing our best to keep it going,” he said. “If somebody else took over the restaurant, we would love it. It's a great location. (But) we don't want to run a restaurant. We are in the racing business.”

Both Neukirch and Village President Jeffrey Braiman praised the OTB, saying it has had little impact on police and provides a steady stream of revenue — about $70,000 a year — for the village.

“We want to increase the revenue, not see them walk out of the village,” Braimann said.