First US State to Legalize Online Gambling

While the US Department of Justice continues to offer its opinion that all online gambling is illegal, Illinois has flexed its muscles and is now offering online gambling on horse races within the US State. This would be the first US state to officially legalize online gambling in a popular form unrelated to the lottery.



Track officials and horsemen are excitedly praising the arrival of online betting as a savior of the racing industry. “We’re all excited about it,” Lenny Brooks, executive director of the Illinois Horseman’s Benevolent and Protective Association, told the Belleville News-Democrat. “It’s a landmark day in Illinois.”



The Illinois Racing Board approved three licenses for online gambling which include YouBet and TwinSpires. They can both take online gambling action on the five horse racing tracks within Illinois and it’s legal to place a bet online as of right now.



This is exciting news for the online gambling industry, but it doesn’t explain why the Department of Justice feels the need to prosecute foreign gambling operators but turn a blind eye to online gambling operators within the United States, especially when their view has been that all online gambling is illegal.