Illinois Resurrects Online Horse Betting


Monday May 27,2013 : ILLINOIS RESURRECTS ONLINE HORSERACE BETTING (Update)
 
Six months after betting law expired it is resuscitated by lawmakers
 
Betting on the ponies over the Internet could soon be legal again in Illinois after lawmakers resuscitated a law that expired six months ago permitting the pastime.
 
The Illinois House voted 90-18 Sunday to renew electronic wagering through the end of 2013; the bill – SB1884 – now moves to the Senate, where insiders expect it to pass, according to the publication QC Times.
 
The Springfield Daily Herald reports that online betting on the ponies is a big money-maker for tracks like Arlington International Racecourse, where owner Churchill Downs also owns the TwinSpires online betting site, an online venue that previously did well taking internet bets in Illinois.
 
The newspaper reports that TwinSpires and another company, Xpressbet, will be the main beneficiaries if the Senate joins the House in approving the resumption of online betting.