Sports Betting in Indiana

Visitors and residents of the state of Indiana who over 21 have been legally allowed to bet on certain sports since 8th May 2019 when Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed HB 1015, making Indiana the 9 US state to legalize sports betting since the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018.

Today bettors can place wagers in person or online using one of the state’s many regulated and legal approved gambling providers which include:

• Betrivers
• Caesars
• TwinSpires
• FanDuel Illinois
• Barstool Illinois
• BetMGM Illinois
• Circa Sports Illinois
• Fanatics Illinois (Coming Soon)
• Bally Bet Illinois (Coming soon)
• Betway Illinois (coming soon)
• ESPN Bet Illinois (Coming soon)

In Person Registration

It is not necessary to register in person when betting online at Illinois sportsbooks – a rule which was removed in March 2022 – enabling less friction for consumers wishing to register online with gambling / betting apps in IL.

State Gambling Tax Revenues

Gambling provides huge tax-revenues to the state of Indiana with $105,556,075 in tax-dollars generated from sports-betting revenues (September 2019 – Aug 2023).

Betting Laws & Regulations in Indiana

• The Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) oversees all gambling activities in the state.
• The Sports Wagering and Paid Fantasy Sports Division handles the licensing and regulation of the paid fantasy sports in the state.
• The cost of a sports wagering certificate is set at $100,000 with annual renewal fees of $10,000.
• The Sports Wagering and Paid Fantasy Sports Division handle the licensing and regulation of the paid fantasy sports in the state.
• Sports betting applicants must have a minimum cash reserve of $500,000 and be partnered with an integrity monitor.
• The IGC reserves the right to prohibit bets on any sporting event if the sports league or NCAA believes the outcome could be fixed or manipulated.
• Bets on high school sports and e-sports are not permitted.
• All casinos must submit their sports wagering systems for independent testing.
• The state imposes a tax rate of 9.5% on gaming revenues.

Legal Sports Betting Options in Indiana

There are fifteen total retail sportsbooks within Indiana right now, most of which are commercial casinos. However, there are a few off-track-betting locations.

Legal Sports Betting Apps in Indiana

The laws in place within Indiana require mobile sports betting app/website platforms to partner with a brick-and-mortar casino within state lines. The first apps to go online within Indiana were BetRivers and DraftKings. Since then, plenty more mobile apps have entered the market.

This will allow you to place bets within the Indiana state lines on a whole range of mobile devices, so as long as you have a smartphone with app capability, whether that be an iOS device such as an iPhone or iPad or an Android-based device such as a Tablet, you can download one of these apps and place bets.

Fox Bet is confirmed as joining the market, partnering with The Stars Group and the Rising Star Casino Resort will also be partnering up with SBK Sportsbook to go online, dates of these app releases are yet to be announced.

The Path to Indiana Legalizing Sports Betting

• May 2018 – the PASPA is deemed unconstitutional, allowing states to once again legalize sports betting across the country.
• May 2019 – Governor Eric Halcomb signs HB 1015, making sports betting in the state of Indiana legal.
• September 2019 – The first bets are placed at retail sportsbooks, with the Governor himself getting in on the action, placing some $10 bets at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino in Shelbyville. A couple of other retail locations open their doors to sports bettors, including the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg and the Ameristar Casino based in East Chicago.
• October 2019 – The first online mobile sportsbooks launches, with bets taken on the BetRivers and DraftKings apps from October 3. Many more apps join the market shortly after.

Famous Indiana Sports Franchises

NBA:Indiana Pacers
Founded back in 1967, the Pacers play in the Eastern conference. Despite appearing in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals eight times (1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2013, 2014), The Pacers are one of have never won an NBA championship and are the only Central Division team without a title.

Indiana’s rivals are the Detroit Pistons. After several tense matchups, everything came to a head on November 19, 2004, when the Pacers-Pistons brawl would go down at the Pistons home court.

The fight started with a foul on Ben Wallace for the Pistons by Ron Artest, after some pushing between the two, a huge fight broke out. It would then see players jumping into the stands and even attacking opposition fans. The Pacers eventually won the game 97-82, but many players involved in the brawl would receive bans, with Artest having to sit out the remainder of the season.

NFL: Indianapolis Colts

Founded in 1953, the Colts have played in the AFC South conference since 2002 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The team has won the Super Bowl twice (1971, 2007).

With the first pick in the 1998 draft, the Colts signed legend Archie Manning’s quarterback son, Peyton Manning. Although initially struggling to find his feet in the professional league, Manning soon turned it on and was named the NFL’s most valuable player a record five times.