Online Gambling Coming To Illinois This Week

This week, another state is moving towards legalized online gambling. The Illinois Racing Board will meet today to determine of three companies will receive licenses to offer online gambling.

If the companies are approved, gamblers could be placing bets online as early as Wednesday. This is one of the many gambling changes that have been made to Illinois law. Recently, legislators gave the right to bars to offer video gambling in their establishments.

The gambling expansion is in line with many other states across the US. When the economy collapsed, state lawmakers started looking for ways to fill budget holes. Casino gambling has become one of the main targets of these lawmakers, and laws have been changed to accommodate the casino gambling boom.

The horse racing industry in Illinois has seen a decline in wagering at racetracks. Officials at these tracks believe that already it is because gamblers are placing their bets online through companies that are not regulated.

The Internet gambling issue has become a hot one in the nations capital because of these unregulated sites that are draining money from the US economy. Representative Barney Frank is seeking to change US laws in order to regulate the online gambling industry.

In the past, Frank has been unsuccessful in his attempt to overturn the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. This time, however, he has gained support in some key areas of Congress. The reasoning for change is simple as far as Frank is concerned, regulate the online gambling industry so that people can know that their gambling money is safe.

In Illinois, once the companies are approved, they will be allowed to begin advertising their online gambling sites. The new laws will make it easy for Illinois residents who do not want to travel to state racetracks, but still enjoy betting on horse races.

October 13, 2009
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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