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June 26, 2008 - 5:54PM
Updated: June 26, 2008 - 10:23PM
Scottsdale bar seeks dog racing wagering
Brian Powell, Tribune
Upper Deck Sports Grill already has the ponies. Now owner Tom Anderson wants the dogs.
Anderson is asking the Scottsdale City Council to change the city code to allow him to apply for a license to hold off-track dog racing wagering at his downtown Scottsdale sports bar.
If granted the license, pari-mutuel wagering would take place on dog races starting at 7 p.m. daily, following an afternoon of wagering on horse racing that has occurred at the back of his sports bar at 4224 N. Craftsman Court for the past year.
"There's a lot of people that like (the dogs) over the horses," Anderson said. "It's an easier program to read, you don't have handicapping with the jockeys and it's easier for the layman and amateur to go and have a good time."
In May, the council voted unanimously to renew Anderson's horse racing off-track betting license. Anderson was first granted the permit last year, becoming the only off-track betting site in Scottsdale.
When Anderson was first given the license last year, the council OK'd it 6-1. Only Mayor Mary Manross dissented, citing a desire not to have gambling in Scottsdale. Manross voted in favor of the renewal.
The four betting windows on the second floor of the bar are operated by Turf Paradise and Yavapai Downs for the horse racing betting. Phoenix Greyhound Park, featuring live nightly dog races, would operate the windows if dog racing off-track betting is allowed.
The Phoenix track currently operates 35 off-track betting sites.
The City Council is tentatively set to vote July 8 on whether to start the process that would allow off-track dog race wagering.
If the code is changed, Anderson would then need to apply for the license. Anderson asked the council June 17 to consider including dog racing licensing provisions in the city code.
Scottsdale spokesman Pat Dodds said it's not included in the code because the issue had never before come up.
Anderson is also the owner of Club Forbidden in downtown Scottsdale, which replaced the former Anderson's Fifth Estate.
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