Home » OCW News » June 2009 » Illinois Citizens to Taste Online Gambling

Illinois Citizens to Taste Online Gambling

Date published: 2 June 2009

This SlideShowPro photo gallery requires the Flash Player plugin and a web browser with JavaScript enabled.

For UK citizens, gambling online - through online casinos, poker rooms, bingo halls and sports betting sites - is old hat, unlike in the United States, where online gambling is prohibited. That is except for the state of Illinois, where lawmakers recently approved a bill to open the way for online horse wagering.

Last week Illinois legislators stunned the online gambling fraternity when they passed a bill to allow citizens of the state to gamble online as well as place bets on horse races at online sports betting websites. The bill, voted in by the Illinois state House, has already reportedly advanced successfully through the Senate.

This means that online gambling fans in Illinois will soon be free to access internet gambling sites and bet and wager online as they choose, a privilege that citizens of America's other 51 states cannot enjoy. It seems that Illinois' government officials have realized that gambling revenues can help during this tough recession.

As proof of this, the state House has also passed two other gambling bills - one to introduce slot machines at horseracing venues in the state and the other - after initially deciding against it - to grant licenses for four new land casinos. These new gambling avenues are expected to generate revenues of up to $1 billion.

Don't miss...

New Gambling Bill for US Citizens

In addition, the new online betting measures and racetrack slot machines have been aimed at giving the state's ailing horseracing industry a helping hand. The theory is that horseracing fans will be able to boost the sport by being allowed to place bets over the internet from the ease, comfort and security of their own homes.

If everything goes according to plan and the gambling bills go through, just as in the UK, online gamblers across Illinois will be able to register with internet betting sites, deposit funds and place their wagers online. They will then also be free to withdraw their winnings as they see fit, as well as make new deposits.

Interestingly, the Illinois state House voted 87-27 to pass the online gambling measure, showing that an increasing number of politicians (certainly in Illinois) are coming around to the idea of legalized and regulated online gambling practices. The great hope is that the rest of the American states soon follow suit.