A bar in Long Island, New York, is being investigated by the New York State Liquor Authority and the local police for running a gambling pool on the number of shootings that will occur in New York City and Chicago over Labor Day weekend. The Cliffton, which is located in the village of Patchogue, shared a photo of a Super Bowl-style box where patrons place their bets on Instagram.
The post was captioned: "Let the shooting sprees begin!"
The bar said that whoever picked the box that corresponds to the number of shootings in each city will win an unspecified cash prize.
The State Liquor Authority said in a statement to Newsday that the betting pool is "not only sickening but also appears illegal under the Alcoholic Beverage Control law," which prohibits gambling at establishments that have a liquor license. The owners of the bar were already under investigation for violating the law after refusing to allow inspectors inside earlier in the week. The SLA warned that the bar could lose its liquor license.
"This establishment will be charged for the violation we have already observed and can expect to hear from us again," the authority said.
Local officials slammed the bar for allowing people to bet on how many people will get shot.
"We can't tolerate it," said Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri. "All it does is raise the angst and anger of others. To be buying a box to see how many people die is something I cannot fathom. It's not who we are as a community."
He added that the village's Chamber of Commerce was considering removing The Cliffton as a member.
The bar's owner, Brian Neal, has not commented.
Photo: Google Maps