Elk Grove off-track betting parlor now open

An Elk Grove Village sports bar has added off-track betting to the menu.

Ringside Sports Bar and Restaurant now features more than 50 TVs for horse race betting just in time for Saturday's 24th running of the Breeders' Cup World Championships.

Ringside owner Rick Cotini said he's bracing for a crowd for this weekend.

Three months ago, state gaming regulators approved the site.

Inter-Track Partners of Melrose Park won the OK, and worked with Cotini to refurbish Ringside, 554 E. Devon Ave.

"I think our facility is state of the art, and it's comfortable," Cotini said. "It's totally revamped from ceiling to ground."

The new Elk Grove Village site fills a void, said Bob Bilocerkowycz, Inter-Track president and CEO.

Arlington Park is the closest off-track betting facility.

"Between Melrose Park to basically Arlington Park, there's no OTBs," he said.

Elk Grove Village's expansive industrial park, which employs 100,000, also was a draw.

Ringside is gunning for the lunchtime and after-work business from the industrial park employees.

The site opened Friday night and a ribbon cutting was held Tuesday evening.

The project stirred some controversy, with gambling opponents arguing against the Ringside site since it's in the same strip mall as a day-care center.

But the gaming board overwhelmingly approved the site in July, siding with its supporters.

Elk Grove Village board members had approved the site in May.

Elk Grove Village officials expect to get $150,000 a year in tax revenue from the site. The village gets 1 percent of bets placed.