Illinois is expected to be the first state to implement online gambling, although it will be limited to the sale of lottery tickets, but the District of Columbia is hustling to become the first jurisdiction to offer an expanded menu of intrastate online gambling.

The district legalized online gambling nearly a year and one-half ago but moved slowly toward implementation until the recent advisory from the U.S. Justice Department liberalizing its view toward Internet gambling.

The D.C. Council has been holding informational hearings on the gambling law, looking to get the project moving under the district’s lottery agency. Being considered are online poker, blackjack, slot machine games and other gambling forms.