Illinois Adds Online Gambling to Gaming Repertoire
Illinois, which has recently expanded various types of land gambling to generate new revenue, is also moving some gambling operations online. Both the state lottery and horse racing will be available at online gambling sites.
The race track option, which still needs the governor's signature to become law. will let state tracks partner with online gambling sites to take bets. Prepaid accounts could be used to handle bets placed by either computer or phone.
The Illinois Lotery is also planning on taking operations to the Internet. But first, lottery officials asked the US Department of Justice for an opinion as to whether online lottery sales are legal.
Of course, the only federal law that applies to online gambling not related to sports is the UIGEA, which specifically gives state lotteries the right to operate online. That right hasn't prevented New Hampshire and South Dakota state lotteries from having payments blocked, as lenders are forced to interpret the law.
This means the DoJ may tell Illinois to proceed, only to have Visa and Mastercard decide the law against online gambling payments includes them. Further, asking the DoJ what the law is seems useless; the department still considers any gambling on the Internet illegal, despite the open betting on horse racing which it ignores, and court decisions limiting the Wire Act to sports betting.
