The Illinois Racing Board (IRB) is a quasi-independent

State of Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

agency that oversees and regulates the Illinois

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

industry, including tracks that hold race meetings where wagers can be placed.

Description

As of 2021, the ICJIA derives its mission statement from the Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975. The Board enjoys jurisdiction, supervision, powers, and duties over every person who holds or conducts any race meeting within the state of Illinois where horse racing is permitted for any stake, purse, or reward. Toward this end, the Board enforces rules and regulations to ensure the honesty and integrity of Illinois horse racing and wagering. As of 2021 with the closing of

Arlington Park Arlington International Racecourse (formerly Arlington Park, the name was Arlington Park Jockey Club from as soon as 1948 up to 1955) was a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago regi ...

and a preliminary agreement leading to a future sale of the former track property to the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

, two horse racetracks remain in operation in Illinois: *

Fairmount Park Racetrack Fairmount Park Racetrack is a horse racing track in Collinsville, Illinois, a part of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The track hosts Thoroughbred flat racing. It is one of two horse racing venues currently active in Illinois, and the only one ...

Hawthorne Race Course Hawthorne Race Course is a racetrack for horse racing in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois, near Chicago. The oldest continually run family-owned racetrack in North America, in 2009 the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating syst ...

Hawthorne is located in the western suburbs of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Fairmount is located in

Downstate Illinois Downstate Illinois refers to the part of the U.S. state of Illinois south of the Chicago metropolitan area, which is in the northeast corner of the state and has been dominant in American history, politics, and culture. It is defined as the part ...

, near

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. Both courses host

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

race meetings between horses ridden by jockeys. During the race meetings, both the horses and the jockeys are under the Board's supervision. Hawthorne also hosts a meeting of harness racing between standardbred horses that pull drivers in light carts. The Board supervises the horses, carts, and drivers. The Racing Board approves times and dates for the race meetings. In a typical season, the Chicago-area race meeting schedule is set up. For example in the past, when Arlington was racing thoroughbreds, Hawthorne would hold harness racing. The race meeting schedules are posed on each track's website and on the website of the Racing Board. Subsidiary race meetings, typically between harness horses, are held at the

Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack is a one mile long clay oval motor racetrack on the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, the state capital. It is frequently nicknamed The Springfield Mile. Constructed in the late 19th century and reco ...

, the DuQuoin State Fair, and at several of the county fairs of Illinois. The Illinois Racing Board was founded in 1933.

Ethics violations

Illinois state law prohibits the board's members from engaging in political activity. Several commissioners have been found in violation of this law over the course of the board's history, or have resigned to evade legal action. In 2020, chairman Jeffrey Brincat, and commissioners Greg Sronce and Edgar Ramirez, all resigned due to prohibited activity. Brincat made donations to a state legislator, Antonio Munoz, and a candidate for local office in Lake County. Ramirez, meanwhile, donated to Michael Rodriguez, a Chicago alderman, and Sronce donated to the

Sangamon County Sangamon County is located in the center of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 197,465. Its county seat and largest city is Springfield, the state capital. Sangamon County is included in the S ...

Republican Party and Kentucky U.S. Senator

Mitch McConnell Addison Mitchell McConnell III (born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky and the Senate minority leader since 2021. Currently in his seventh term, McConne ...

References

{{Gaming control boards in the United States 1933 establishments in Illinois Gambling regulators in the United States State agencies of Illinois Horse racing in Illinois Horse racing organizations in the United States