Illinois racing board weighs online betting licenses

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois -- As reported by the Herald Review: "Gambling on horse races over the Internet could become legal for Illinoisans as early as this week.

"The Illinois Racing Board is scheduled to weigh giving three companies state licenses to handle online bets when it meets in Chicago on Tuesday. If those companies are approved, gamblers could use the approved Web sites to wager on horses from the comfort of their homes as early as Wednesday.

"'They're ready to go,' said Mickey Ezzo, a spokesman for the Illinois Racing Board. 'The infrastructure is all in place.'

"The infrastructure is in place because the sites are already in use, though they're not regulated and most likely illegal.

"But this year, lawmakers approved legalizing and regulating online horse betting. When the gambling sites are regulated, the Illinois horse racing industry gets a cut of the bets. When bettors currently wager on Illinois races, none of the cut goes to the local industry..."