Indiana sees huge jump in sports betting with boost from mobile wagering
The $91.7 million that Indiana sportsbooks accepted last month is almost triple the amount wagered in September when sports betting became legal.
The $91.7 million that Indiana sportsbooks accepted last month is almost triple the amount wagered in September when sports betting became legal.
Participants at the forum cautioned that while the industry is growing quickly, the high cost of acquiring customers and promoting a new business could lead to some current operators failing.
PlayUSA.com Network, a news and research organization that follows sports gambling and operates PlayNJ.com and PlayIndiana.com, called the first-month data “impressive.”
Sports betting is ready to go legally online in Indiana on Thursday, a little more than a month after the state’s casinos started taking in-person game wagers.
The Indiana Gaming Commission has approved the mobile launch for the first operator, French Lick Casino, which is working with Chicago-based Rush Street Interactive to offer retail and online sports wagering.
Revenue from the state’s 10 casinos was 31.2% less than what had been expected in August, but racino revenue was on the rise.
Lottery sales reached $1.34 billion in the latest fiscal year, up from $1.27 billion in the previous year.
Indiana Grand Racing & Casino in Shelbyville, Ameristar Casino in East Chicago and Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg opened their sports books Sunday, the first day they were allowed by law.
The Indiana Gaming Commission voted Wednesday to allow the operator of Gary’s two casinos to relocate the properties inland, setting up the possibility for a casino near Terre Haute.
Indiana will become the 12th state—and the first in the midst of major Midwest markets—with sports betting when a new state law takes effect Sunday.
Indiana casinos are racing ahead with preparations to launch legalized sports betting in early September, looking to seize an advantage over competitors in Chicago and other nearby large markets where such wagers aren’t yet allowed.
At the Winner’s Circle in downtown Indianapolis, Caesars will add extra bar seating and televisions. It also is adding an activity area with cornhole boards and shuffleboard to create more of a sports-bar-like atmosphere.
Indiana casinos will compete effectively against a slew of new casino sites in Illinois, Gov. Eric Holcomb said Monday.
The Hoosier Lottery is set to study the move that could let players buy tickets for Powerball, Mega Millions and instant games on their phones.
Illinois legislators have approved a giant gambling-expansion bill that allows sports betting and as many as six new casinos, including one in Chicago.
Indiana Gaming Commission Executive Director Sara Gonso Tait said Thursday that state regulators might not be ready by Sept. 1 to allow sports betting, even though a law approved earlier this year makes it legal beginning on that date.
Voter approval of the referendum is required under a law adopted by state legislators this spring allowing construction of a casino in Terre Haute.
Holcomb said he made the decision—which comes on the heels of multiple conflict of interest questions about the gambling bill—to “spur positive economic growth for our state and for an industry that employs over 11,000 Hoosiers.”
NASCAR is making its first big play in the world of expanded legal sports betting, hoping a sports data partnership will lead to gamblers being able to bet during races on much more than just who gets the checkered flag.
With legal sports gambling having already spread to other states, the ban became impractical.