State Rejects Arlington Racecourse’s Bid To Operate OTB

State regulators are rejecting Arlington International Racecourse’s request to operate off-track betting parlors in Illinois next year. The Illinois Racing Board decided not to issue Arlington a license to operate OTB facilities, citing its shutdown of live horse racing at the track. The owner of Arlington, Churchill Downs, announced this year that it had a preliminary agreement to sell the racing site in Arlington Heights to the Chicago Bears for nearly 200-million-dollars.