NTRA security hire bows out

Sharon O'Bryan, a consultant hired in February to be the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's chief security officer, will not be joining the NTRA after all, officials for the association said on Wednesday.

O'Bryan, a former senior vice president with a Dutch banking company, was scheduled to start in the new post on April 1. She backed out of the job earlier this month, however, after her clients made additional offers, NTRA officials said.

Greg Avioli, the NTRA's deputy commissioner, said that the association's Wagering Technology Working Group would continue its work on developing minimum-security standards for betting sites while the search for the security officer continued.