Nassau OTB's 'X S Wednesday' a tame affair

After a racy online advertisement drew attention to Nassau Off-Track Betting's attempt to draw a younger crowd at its Plainview outlet, last night's "X S Wednesday" debut at Plainview's Race Palace appeared to be a tame affair.

Karen Capobianco, 45, of Syosset, dined on mahi mahi and martinis and said she enjoyed the experience. "This is absolutely gorgeous and very upscale," she said.

For the event, promoter Steve Carl decorated each of the facility's five rooms with a different theme. One of the rooms, dubbed the Cherry Room, featured a large platform in the shape of an X, upon which patrons could dance, though none did early in the evening. Tables in the room were topped with cherries.

By 9:30 p.m., the crowd skewed older than advertisers had hoped, with most patrons appearing to be in their 40s and 50s. Cocktail waitresses wore tasteful dresses, far less revealing than what appeared in the online advertisement.

"This is a county-run facility; we don't want to offend anyone," Carl said.

At first, OTB defended the ads, saying they were attempting to provide "good, clean fun", and promised there would be no nudity during entertainment at the facility. Both OTB and promoters for the Wednesday night's event said they were aiming for a younger crowd who might come out in the middle of the week, rather than the usual older crowd who bets regularly on the televised horse racing. Nassau presiding officer Diane Yatauro said the ad was "in very poor taste" and it sent "an inappropriate message." Legis. David Denenberg (D-Merrick) also called it "offensive, in bad taste and we shouldn't tolerate it."

So by Tuesday, Nassau OTB president Dino Amoroso announced a reversal. He criticized the original ad - featuring a scantily clad young woman lounging on a leather couch. Amoroso agreed it was "inappropriate" and said it "does not reflect the nature of our facility and therefore has to be removed." He praised Steven Carl, the restaurateur and caterer at the OTB facility, for taking "prompt action" on this matter. By Tuesday evening, the Web site ad was toned down. A reference to a "Skin Room" at the facility was dropped from the ad.

With Thomas Maier