Online wagering in Illinois

[bewalter]

Hi,

I'm new to this and looking to open an account with an online wagering outfit. I live in the Chicago area and I want to start with the local tracks. I see that Twin Spires seems to be affiliated AP and Xpressbet is on the Hawthorne web site.

Does anyone have any experience or recommendations about either one of these?

Thanks,
Bill

[Ted Craven]

Welcome Bill!

It is my understanding that Twinspires does indeed open accounts from Illinois residents. You could do worse than to bet with them!

All the best,

Ted

[atkinsrr]

Ted I've been betting with Brisnet/Twin Spires since 1998...and I wouldn't change for anyother service...they are the best...When I put money in my acct it transfers out of my bank acct to them in less than 5 seconds...when I withdraw they send it right back to my acct...they pay good rewards points that you can cash in and they put cash straight into your betting acct...and when you call them if you have a problem you get to talk to a real person...you also get free past performances but they have to be downloaded after midnight on the day of the race...you do have to bet $2 on any one horse on the card( ULTIMATE PAST PERFORMANCES/W/COMMENTS....i RECOMMEND THIS SERVICE HIGHLY. I also live 5 miles from Ellis Park...got the best of both worlds !!!!!!

[bewalter]

Thank you for the insights. I was leaning toward Twinspires so, unless someone posts a totally negative comment, I'll probably go with them.

Bill

[Ted Craven]

Bill,

Just a quick follow up and clarification: this does not really relate to your situation living in Illinois, but in case other people are reading this discussion who live in other US States or countries, there is an alternative ADW to Twinspires which PaceandCap is affiliated with - AmWager - which in addition to offering an excellent ADW betting interface, also offers very good rebates on every betting dollar (e.g. bet $100, get an average of $8 - $10+ back on every wager, % depending on track and pool).

Here is a whole page on this topic: http://paceandcap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7546

Some US States, and countries (Canada) place restrictions on receiving rebates from wagering, and so AmWager is not available for them. Illinois is one of those states, at this time. But residents in other legal jurisdictions (check the list at the above link) would benefit highly from further enquiry about the AmWager / NHPLAY connection.

Bill - Twinspires would be a good fit for you!

Good luck!

Ted