The Genesee Region USBC will be conducting its Annual Banquet & Hall of Fame Dinner on Saturday, May 11 at Batavia Downs Gaming’s Genesee Banquet Room.

The event will get underway at 6 p.m. with a memorial service in honor of members of the bowling community who passed away over the last year.

Highlights of the evening include the induction of brothers Tim and Tom Rohl into the association’s Hall of Fame in the Bowling Achievement category, presentation of the Barbara J. Kreiley Memorial Scholarship and recognition of tournament and regular season league champions.

Election of officers and directors also will take place, along with voting to raise the annual Standard and Local Only Adult membership dues by $1.

The cost of the buffet dinner is $35, with the following exceptions:

NO CHARGE – GRUSBC directors, Adult Tournament Champions (limit one tournament only), Youth Tournament Champions and one guest (limit one tournament only), guest speaker and one guest, Hall of Fame inductees and one guest.

$20 PER PERSON – Past GRUSBC Hall of Famers, league secretary or representative (limit one per league).

The reservation deadline is May 4. The banquet is open to all GRUSBC members, with a reservation deadline of May 4.

Please RSVP by sending an email to mikep@bowlgr.com or by calling 585-343-3736.

ASSOCIATION TOURNAMENT CONCLUDES

The 17th Genesee Region USBC Association Tournament concluded on Sunday at Oak Orchard Bowl in Albion.

Unofficial winners of the various divisions are as follows:

Open Team -- Christ Recycling, Albion, 2,860. Robbie Hanks' 300 game and 805 series on the tournament's opening squad sparked the team to the big score and it held on for first place. Other team members were Albert Burch (631), Larry Boyce (523) and Marvin Christ (483). The team received 418 pins handicap.

Women's Team -- Splitz & Giggles, Albion, 2,501. Barbara Casavant posted 604 scratch to lead the way. Other members were Sharon Stefanini (306), Tiffany Crawford (522) and Breanna Seever (502). The team received 590 pins handicap.

Open Doubles -- Daryl Dillon & Greg Gilman, Albion, 1,524. Bowling on the final squad on Sunday, Dillon registered 682 and Gilman rolled 651 for 1,333 scratch plus 191 pins handicap.

Women's Doubles -- Karen Allis & Jane Chaddock, Batavia, 1,284. Chaddock posted 566 and Allis had 532 on the second to last squad of the tournament. They received 186 pins handicap.

Open Singles -- Jeremy Yasses, Oakfield, 781. Yasses recorded games of 246-211-235 for 692 scratch. With his 89 pins handicap (based on 192 average), he took the lead on the Sunday morning squad.

Women's Singles -- Breanna Seever, Albion, 654. Seever started with a 211 game and went on to roll 522 scratch. Her 132 pins handicap enabled her to top the leaderboard, and she went on to place first in Women's All-Events as well.

Open All-Events -- Scott Culp, Honeoye Falls-Lima, 2,262. Culp put up the winning score without the benefit of handicap. His three series were 747 (Team), 773 (Doubles) and 742 (Singles).

Women's All-Events -- Breanna Seever, Albion, 1,937.

For unofficial final standings and the projected prize list, go to www.bowlgr.com.

Updated at 11:20 a.m. with union rep comments

In what may prove to be a course reversal, Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. directors on Thursday said they are open to allocating more money to promote the branch segment of the public benefit company.

“We want to make an attempt to market it (the off-track betting branches). It seems like all marketing has been geared toward Batavia Downs Gaming,” said Thomas Wamp, board member representing Livingston County, prior to the monthly directors’ meeting at the Park Road gaming establishment.

For quite some time, WROTB management has pointed out that the corporation’s eight branch locations -- save one or two -- have been losing money. As a result, the publicized plan has been to reduce the number of branches, while working to add E-Z Bet sites, which do not have employees.

Wamp (photo at right) said the board is putting that strategy “on hold” 

As lifelong Batavian Richard E. “Dick” Siebert thanked those that have helped turn a once decimated Batavia Downs into what it has become today – a successful gaming and horse racing destination, he turned his attention to Dennis Bassett, the current chair of the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. board of directors.

Speaking this morning at a ceremony at the Park Road facility honoring his 29-plus years as a WROTB director, Siebert turned his head, looking for Bassett in the crowd

Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. officials today said they will be honoring former director Batavian Richard Siebert for his many years of service to Batavia Downs and Batavia Downs Gaming.

WROTB President/Chief Executive Officer Henry Wojtaszek, at today’s board meeting at the Park Road facility, said that Siebert will be recognized at a noon reception on March 28 with a plaque in the newly remodeled Genesee banquet room on the second floor of Batavia Downs Gaming.

Siebert (photo at right) served on the board for 29 years until resigning in early May after it was announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul that the governing body would be dismantled and restructured.

Wojtaszek said that he’s contacted Siebert about the

“Our preliminary numbers for December as well as the last quarter of the year were such that it looks like we’ll have achieved record earnings for ’23,” said WROTB Chief Financial Officer Jacquelyne Leach during Thursday’s board of directors meeting

Timothy Callan, the newest appointee to the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. board, isn’t able to vote yet – he’s waiting for his license from the New York Gaming Commission – but that didn’t prevent him from questioning the other directors and WROTB President/Chief Executive Officer Henry Wojtaszek on several matters Thursday morning.

Callan, the Erie County Deputy County comptroller, is representing Erie County on the board after his appointment by Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz. Callan’s boss, County Comptroller Kevin Hardwick, has been an outspoken critic of the public benefit company’s policies and practices.

On Thursday, January 11, Batavia Downs welcomes back the Polka Buzz tapings with Polka Band Seven and WBBZ.  Tickets are just $10 and you get $10 back in Free Play.  Doors open at 6 p.m. with the tapings starting at 7 p.m.  Tickets are available now on BataviaConcerts.com.

The BBQ and Bourbon Dinner returns for two nights on February 2 and 3.  Enjoy flights of BBQ and samples from Maker’s Mark and Knob Creek as staff gives insight into the history of the brands.  Each attendee receives $50 Free Play and there will be prize drawings as well.  Doors open at 5:15 p.m., and the event begins at 5:30 p.m.  This event is only available by purchasing a hotel package, details can be found at bataviadownsgaming.com/hotel-deals/

Beatle-Mania Magic makes their Batavia Downs debut on Friday, February 9.  Doors are at 6:30 p.m. with the show starting at 7:30 p.m.  A national touring Beatles Tribute band will recreate Beatles concerts with identical costumes, equipment and spot on harmonies.  Tickets start at $15 and guests get $10 back in Free Play.  Tickets are available now on BataviaConcerts.com.  Hotel packages that include tickets are available as well.

The 5^th annual Batavia Brew Fest, presented by Genesee Brewery and Rohrbach Brewing Company is back on Saturday, February 17 from 4:30 to 7 p.m.  For $30, attendees receive two and a half hours of beer sampling from many WNY breweries.  Early bird tickets available until January 29 for just $25.  Light snacks will be served and attendees will receive a commemorative plastic sampling mug along with $15 in Free Play.  Hotel packages that include tickets are available as well.

The Downs welcomes their first Prince Tribute with LoVeSeXy Tribute 2 the music of Prince on Saturday, March 9.  Doors are at 6:30 p.m. with the show starting at 7:30 p.m.  They’ll perform a remarkable, spot-on sound-alike, high-energy show featuring a wide range of songs including all of PRINCE’s greatest hits, from his early years and throughout his long career.  Tickets start at $15 and guests get $10 back in Free Play.  Tickets are available now on BataviaConcerts.com.  Hotel packages that include tickets are available as well.

Returning again after several years of sold out shows is Music of the Stars on Saturday, March 23.  Doors are at 6:30 p.m. with the show starting at 7:30 p.m.   The high-energy seven-piece band pays tribute to internationally famous artists, including Tom Jones, The Bee Gees, Neil Diamond, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Gary Puckett, Elvis, The Beatles and many more. Tickets start at $15 and guests get $10 back in Free Play.  Tickets are available now on BataviaConcerts.com.  Hotel packages that include tickets are available as well.

Batavia Downs is excited to welcome RECORD RIOT, a vinyl record vendor show on Sunday, March 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  With 40 dealer tables and more than 10,000 LPs in the room, attendees will be sure to have a great time browsing a wide variety of music while connecting with fellow music lovers.  Details can be found online at: https://www.recordriots.com/.  $10 Early Bird Tickets or regular $5 admission tickets can be purchased at the door.  Each ticket comes with $5 in Free Play for the gaming floor.

“We have more events scheduled in 2024 than ever before, “ said Henry Wojtaszek, President and CEO for Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel.  “These concert events are always well received by our guests, and we are excited to bring back the Brew Fest with our partners at Genesee and Rohrbach.  With a newfound interest in record collecting, we’re sure that our first onsite Record Riot vendor show will be well attended.  We’re looking forward to entertaining the people of Western New York over the next few months.”

Again, tickets are available now on bataviaconcerts.com.

Hotel Packages for select events can be found on the hotel deals page at https://www.bataviadownsgaming.com/hotel-deals/

Other events scheduled for the 1^st Quarter of 2024 at Batavia Downs include the Experience Psychic Fair January 12 to 14 and the Legends & Stars Sports Expo on the last weekend in February.  Information on these events will be found in the coming weeks HERE.

Those items and the passage of about 65 resolutions that had been in the hopper for up to three months gave WROTB directors plenty of activity at this morning’s board meeting at Batavia Downs Gaming on Park Road.

Directors voted in favor of a resolution granting all employees of the public benefit company a 4 ½ percent raise, effective Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2024.

As a result of a New York State law prohibiting political party officials from obtaining a license from the state Gaming Commission to serve on the WROTB board, Jennifer Hibit, who was appointed to represent Erie County in June, has resigned.

Hibit is the secretary of the Erie County Democratic Committee.

WROTB President/Chief Executive Officer Henry Wojtaszek today confirmed 

The contract, officially known as the Seneca Nation Compact, expires on Dec. 9 -- just 15 days away.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and Seneca Nation leadership thought they had a preliminary deal five months ago but that was quashed by state lawmakers when it was learned – after the fact -- that the new compact terms included placement of a Seneca Nation-operated