Hawthorne Race Course remains dedicated to revitalizing horse betting in Illinois, as demonstrated by the recent approval from the Illinois Racing Board to reopen Crazy Pour in Villa Park, a former Arlington OTB.
Crazy Pour began accepting bettors on horses using the Club Hawthorne name on January 21st.
The Illinois horse racing industry suffered a major setback in September with the closure of Arlington International Racecourse. Hawthorne in Cicero and FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing in Collinsville are now the only two remaining horse racetracks in the state.
Hawthorne assumes control of Arlington OTBs
The Crazy Pour OTB is the second Arlington page Hawthorne has reopened, located at 105 E. North Ave. in Villa Park. Other Arlington OTB establishments reopened in the latter part of last year.
- Aurora’s Piazza
- Salerno’s R Bar in McHenry is a pizzeria.
- The Saddle Room at Hoffman Estates, located trackside
- Visit The Turf Room in North Aurora.
Crazy Pour is currently the 15th competition track at Hawthorne Race Course, with permission to operate up to 16 off-track betting locations. However, the track is seeking approval from the state legislature to expand and operate more OTBs.
Churchill Downs Inc., which owns Hawthorne, made a bid to acquire Arlington’s OTBs at Arlington Trackside, but the racing organization turned down the offer. However, on January 1, the establishments formed a partnership with Arlington Park, located in Arlington Heights, Chicago, Hodgkins, and Rockford.
OTB denied registration at Green Oaks.
During a recent board meeting, Hawthorne was rejected in their request to reopen Post Time Sports Bar in Green Oaks, an Arlington off-track betting location.
Nevertheless, an official stated that insufficient documentation for land ownership led to the revocation of licensing requests.
It is still uncertain if the arrest of Post Time owner Anthony Panico played a role in the decision. Panico admitted in May 2021 to evading more than $2.4 million in state and federal income taxes and started serving a two-year prison sentence in October.
In Illinois, is there another financial casino?
The collaboration between Hawthorne and PointsBet Sportsbook could lead to the establishment of a retail sportsbook in Villa Park. PointsBet, operating under the Club Hawthorne brand in Illinois, currently has three retail locations in Cicero, Crestwood, and Prospect Heights.
New Illinois sports bettors would appreciate a fourth location in Villa Park for convenient in-person registration for online betting. Since April 2021, in-person registration has been required. Additionally, those interested in betting on Illinois college sports must visit a retail sports betting location.
