Joliet's Off-Track Betting Moving To Jefferson Street

JOLIET, IL — The Joliet Hawk Subaru property at 2200 West Jefferson St. has been empty since Hawk opened its fancy new auto showroom at Caton Farm Road and Route 59 almost two years ago. On Thursday morning, city of Joliet officials will review plans for the Bookie Magee's Hideaway & OTB to occupy the vacant property.

Joliet's liquor commission will convene at 9:45 a.m. in City Hall to discuss the redevelopment plans for the old Subaru dealership. The Bookie Magee's OTB is affiliated with the Hawthorne Race Course.

John Walsh, assistant general manager at Hawthorne Race Course, told Joliet Patch during Wednesday night's interview that Joliet has been a great location for Hawthorne's Off-Track Betting for many years.

He's excited about the new location at the former Subaru auto dealership.

"The biggest thing is, people will actually see us now," Walsh said of moving to 2200 W. Jefferson St. "It's a nice building that we can modernize. We want to have more of a sports bar feel to it."

What doesn't Walsh like about Hawthorne's long-time location behind the Menards store and near the Illinois Secretary of State Driver's License Facility?

"There's no visibility," he said. "And it's a little too big, and we want to modernize."

On the other hand, the new location on Jefferson Street is about three to four blocks away from Joliet's current Off-Track Betting, Walsh said.

Besides Joliet residents, most of the people who visit the Bookie Magee's Hideaway & OTB come from Plainfield, Shorewood, Morris and Crest Hill, Walsh said.

If all goes as planned, the Joliet Hawthorne Off-Track Betting will be open at its new location by Nov. 5-6, which marks the popular Breeder's Cup horse race.