Preakness Stakes, Horse Betting Online in Arizona Out: Telephone Wagers In

For those of you who attempted to place bets on this past weekend’s Kentucky Derby online from Arizona, you were plain out of luck unless you did so through international betting sites the likes of Bet Online and SportsBetting.ag.

Current state policy prohibits online horse racing with US licensed sites like TwinSpires.com from Arizona and this will be the case with the upcoming Preakness Stakes as well.

In an ironic twist, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has just signed a bill this week designed to allow telephone betting at horse and dog racing tracks in the state (emphasis on at horse and dog racing tracks).   

The bill by Sen. Steve Pierce of Prescott makes it legal in Arizona to bet via telephone and aims to help struggling race tracks that have seen their popularity plummet as Internet gambling and casinos have become popular.

The bill also would have taken $1.2 million from the state's unclaimed property fund and used it fund racing at county fairs and to a state breeder's award fund. But Brewer line-vetoed that part of the bill.

- Mary Montgomery, Gambling911.com