Indiana passed sports wagering legislation in May 2019, and the first retail sportsbooks launched just four months later. Online sports betting in Indiana followed shortly after. Today, nearly all of Indiana’s 13 land-based casinos have retail sportsbooks, and more than a dozen Indiana online sports betting operators are taking legal real-money wagers.
State of Indiana Sports Betting Overview
Indiana sports bettors do not have to visit casinos to register online sportsbook accounts. Users 21 or older may register, deposit, and place wagers from anywhere in state lines.
There is no in-person registration requirement for Indiana sports betting. Bettors ages 21 and over can initiate registration from any eligible device, even from outside Indiana. The entire process usually takes no more than a couple of minutes.
Anyone wanting to wager from a mobile device can search for their preferred sports betting app in the Google Play Store (Android) or App Store (iOS). Alternatively, they can point their mobile browsers to any sportsbook’s website for the latest download links.
Bettors can conduct most functions from anywhere. The only thing they can’t do from outside the physical confines of Indiana is place bets. Bettors must be geolocated within state lines, either via 4G/5G coverage or a WiFI connection, before they may place real money wagers. Desktop users may be asked to download a small GeoComply plugin, while mobile users must enable location services.
State of Indiana Sports Betting Timeline
Indiana’s journey from legalization to launch was rather short, with just four months separating the state’s sports betting law’s passage from the first legal bet. The driving force behind the quick turnaround was the usual suspect: the NFL betting season. Although online books missed the opening kickoff by about a month, retail books were ready for business when the first snap occurred.
Indiana sports betting is big business. People have wagered more than $5 billion in the state so far. Here’s a brief history of Indiana sports betting since 2019.
2019: Indiana legalizes sports betting in retail and online formats in May. The state then embarks on one of the shortest law-to-launch periods in US history, with the first book opening its doors in September. One month later, DraftKings and BetRivers became the first online sportsbooks in Indiana. A few weeks later, FanDuel joins them.
2020: Five more online sportsbooks become available in Indiana, including notable brands like BetMGM, Caesars and PointsBet. Almost every retail location in the state eligible for a sportsbook has one by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the state’s two major pro sports teams enter into promotional deals. The Colts reach terms with DraftKings and PointsBet, while the Pacers become partners with PointsBet and Caesars.
2021: Four more online sportsbooks will launch in Indiana during 2021, including Bally Bet, Betway and WynnBET. The end of the year finishes in a flourish, with each of the final three months setting a new record for handle. Overall, Indiana sports bettors placed nearly $4 billion in wagers over the second full year of service, roughly $2 billion more than they did in 2020. The Indiana sports betting market has already surpassed the $5 billion mark for handle in its short lifetime.
2022: The year begins uneventfully for Indiana sports betting. However, by June, things start to change with the announcement from theScore Bet that it will pull out of US markets (including Indiana) in July. Even so, Indiana sportsbooks reported $256 million in bets in June, a 4% increase from the same month in 2021. Additionally, Ohio announced that legal sports betting will launch in that state on Jan. 1, 2023; soon, Indiana will be surrounded by states where sports betting is legal.
Dec. 21, 2023 — The new Terre Haute casino is still reportedly scheduled to open in early 2024 despite a recent casino corruption scandal in the state.
Dec. 14, 2023 — Indiana sports betting handle rose to $513.6 million in November, a new record high for the state and a 19.5% increase from October. However, revenue fell 33% month-over-month to $30.7 million.
Dec. 7, 2023 — BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt called the lack of Indiana online casino gaming legislation “disappointing” in a recent business update. Indiana legislators will reportedly not introduce any online casino legislation in 2024.
Nov. 29, 2023 — Kindred, Unibet’s parent company, announced that it plans to exit North America early in 2024. Unibet is available in Indiana, five other US states, and Ontario.
Nov. 29, 2023 — Indiana legislators say they will not pursue online casino legislation in 2024. Indiana’s 2024 legislative session begins on January 8.
Nov. 22, 2023 — Indiana’s year-over-year losses in sports betting handle in October may be due to increased competition in neighboring states.
Nov. 20, 2023 — Bally Bet is live again in Indiana. The sportsbook had paused operations for the last five months to update its platform to one powered by Kambi.