Nassau OTB officials say they've narrowed down their choice of sites for a so-called mini-casino to two or three spots, but they are not releasing the potential locations.

The new video lottery terminals are expected to come to Long Island within a year or so, following the state's approval of a plan to legalize gambling. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state legislators agreed that up to four casinos could be built upstate, and one each will come to Nassau and Suffolk counties.

However, residents say they're concerned about Nassau OTB's secretive planning procedure. Political analysts say that because the OTB is a so-called public benefit corporation, it functions more like a private entity and does not have to release certain information like taxpayer-funded agencies do.

"The sellers have all said to us that they want it to be confidential," said Joseph Cairo, Nassau OTB chairman. "In fact, we signed confidentiality agreements because if we look at a location and we don't take it, the seller doesn't want to have negative publicity."

However, many Nassau residents argue that they should have input on the planning process because of concerns about traffic and parking.

An announcement on a location is expected from Nassau OTB by the end of the month.