A Super Bowl party was held at the Race Palace in Plainview on Sunday and invited guests had a sneak-preview of the upscale OTB.

Nassau Off-Track Betting (OTB) Corporation purchased the Vanderbilt in Plainview in May 2003 from the Morey Group for $6.35 million to turn the once catering and concert hall into an upscale horse racing teletheater, which is set to open on Feb. 16 with a Grand Opening set for Feb. 26

The 47,000 square-foot building, which is located at 1600 Round Swamp Road in Plainview, just south of the Long Island Expressway and just west of the Suffolk County border, will house Nassau County's only teletheater.

At a teletheater, patrons pay an admission fee, usually $2 or $3, and get track odds. At an OTB, if someone won $10, six percent would be taken out and the $10 bet would pay $9.40 with $.60 going to OTB. That same bet at the track would pay the full $10 and it is the same at a teletheater including the Race Palace. At a teletheater the admission fee is in lieu of the surcharge.

Guests at the Super Bowl party had the opportunity to tour the casino-like setting as well as enjoy refreshments and the Super Bowl. The Race Palace is located on the second floor of the building. The setting was ideal for the Super Bowl with a 12'X16' foot television to view the game.

The main room contains theater-type seating for approximately 150 people, 80 individual carrels, which are betting stations with TV monitors, a VIP room with televisions and its own cashiers for high-rollers. On the mezzanine level, there is additional seating for catered parties all overlooking the second floor OTB.

There will also be Quick Draw from the New York Lottery in a lounge area for those not interested in betting on the horse races.

Residents should not let security issues worry them - there are 140 cameras watching over everything taking place in and around the Race Palace and someone monitoring the cameras when the OTB is open. Security was very important in the construction on this Race Palace.

Another difference between a teletheater and other OTBs is that the teletheater can serve food and drinks and the Race Palace will be no exception. Palmer's Bar and Grill is located on the first floor of the Race Palace and is currently open for business. Palmer's will also serve food and drinks to those upstairs. Palmer's currently leases the restaurant area from OTB at fair market value.

According to Larry Aaronson, president of Nassau County OTB, the upscale nature of the Race Palace will hopefully build the demographics of OTB to meet the needs of high-rollers and also draw a younger crowd. According to Aaronson, the average age of people visiting the OTB is 45-60 and they are hoping to expand that to 25-40-year olds.

Residents can enjoy the Race Palace later this month. It is also available for larger parties and the facility can be rented out. For more information, please call the Nassau County OTB headquarters at 572-2800.