HB 1015, a contested and controversial bill regarding Indiana sports betting, finally passed in 2019. What this means for Hoosiers is that Indiana online sports betting is finally legal! Here’s all you need to know about where to bet, legal sports betting apps, and how to bet in Indiana.
Legal IN Sportsbooks
As of September 2019, Indiana online sports betting has finally launched. The first two online sportsbooks for online sports betting are BetRivers and DraftKings. Right now, bet online with these two top brands, and download their apps for on-the-go betting!
We expect that the coming weeks will be explosive for Indiana online sports betting as websites and apps finish their development phases. The fine details of legal online sports betting in Indiana are still being ironed out, but September 2019 is the earliest we expect online sports betting apps to release.
A few casinos will likely also implement legal online sports betting, so we’ve listed those below. In addition, a few websites are “online wagering platforms” with no physical location, like DraftKings, so we expect others to jump on the chance to do business in the new Indiana market as well. Here’s a rundown of casinos in Indiana we expect to release online sportsbook apps in September.
List of Indiana Casinos
- Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg
- Tropicana Evansville
- French Lick Resort Casino (with BetRivers)
- Harrah’s Hoosier Park
- Indiana Grand Casino
- Ameristar Casino (with DraftKings)
- Belterra Casino
- Blue Chip Casino
- Horseshoe Casino
- Majestic Star
- Majestic Star II
- Rising Star Casino Resort
- Four Winds South Bend (tribal casino)
Of the thirteen eligible casinos in Indiana, four of them have a leg up on the retail sportsbook industry, so look for their IN sports betting apps first.
French Lick Casino
The French Lick casino has been working on building a sports bar in anticipation of opening a physical sportsbook for months now. Usually, when a racino or casino has an online sportsbook, they have a bar dedicated to Indiana sports betting as well.
Now, the casino has launched its retail sportsbook in partnership with BetRivers! Visit French Lick today for great in-person sports betting action, or download the BetRivers app and bet on your favorite Indiana teams from anywhere in the state.
Harrah’s Hoosier Park
Naturally, Harrah’s Hoosier Park is backed by Harrah’s, a well-known name in casinos. Likewise, Harrah’s Hoosier Park is a Caesars property, so the framework is already in place for a great app with a substantial rewards program. We expect Harrah’s to be one of the first operators to release an app, and we expect it soon– the only thing standing between Harrah’s and legal operation of a sportsbook is the licensing fee.
The Caesars Rewards program is available to you whether you’re playing at Harrah’s Hoosier Park or the Indiana Grand Racing Casino, so take a look at their perks and tier rewards before signing up for your account in September.
Tropicana Casino Evansville
The Tropicana Evansville is a Tropicana property, so there is already an app for users in other states. Tropicana properties in states like New Jersey will typically partner with existing sportsbooks to do business, so it is possible that the Tropicana Evansville will link up with another casino to offer legal online sports betting. We expect the Tropicana to port this app over to Indiana users in short order, so look forward to a well-designed app with the benefit of the Trop Rewards program!
Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg
Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg is a property of Penn National, a famed casino brand offering legal, online sports betting in Pennsylvania (and now Indiana)! Again, as with the Tropicana and Hooser Park, Hollywood Casino’s parent company is already doing good business with a respected app in another state. The Marquee Rewards program is one to take advantage of, offering comps on food, hotel stays, and more.
We mention these four casinos because we expect them to be first among Indiana casinos to release their online sportsbooks. There are a few other sites offering legal online sports betting that aren’t affiliated with a casino, so we will overview those for you as well.
Legal Online Indiana Sports Betting
Legally speaking, it only just became legal for sportsbooks to exist in Indiana. That’s why we are seeing such a scramble for places like French Lick to establish on-site gambling. Granted, the legalization of sports betting is a very new thing. That being said, several sites like DraftKings and FanDuel have been offering online sports betting in other states, and that experience is going to count in the coming months.
BetRivers
Rush Street Interactive, the parent company of BetRivers, is tied for first place with DraftKings as the first online sportsbook in Indiana. With a wildly successful sports betting platform in NJ and PA, BetRivers is easily on its way to being the top Hoosier sportsbook online.
In partnership with French Lick Casino, BetRivers also operates the retail sportsbook for French Lick. Visit them today, or better yet, bet online with BetRivers Sportsbook. Hopefully, Rush Street will support legal changes in Indiana to get online casinos as well for Hoosiers looking for online slots.
DraftKings
DraftKings boasts promotions and bonuses in the hundreds of dollars. Also, it’s definitely a worthwhile way to spend your play money betting on your favorite sports online. As sports betting just became legal in Indiana, it’s going to take some time for casinos and racinos to get on the ball and release online versions of their sportsbooks. DraftKings, an online wagering service, will not suffer from the same bureaucratic slog, so we expect to see their app released in Indiana very soon.
FanDuel
Likewise, FanDuel is a similar story to DraftKings. Having been operating an online sportsbook for some time now, we expect this well-streamlined app to be among the first released in Indiana. With a great calendar of promotions and a whole bunch of sports to bet on (even darts), FanDuel will be a great addition to legal online sports betting in Indiana.
Indiana Sports Betting on Mobile
The history of legalized sports gambling, particularly legal online sports betting, is relatively complicated in Indiana. Until recently, Indiana residents were only allowed to bet on horse racing. With the recent overturning of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, sports betting became legal on a federal level.
States all over the country are jumping at the chance to use legalized gambling to better local economies and offer residents a place to bet on sports legally and safely. Indiana is no different, and lawmakers have been pushing for legal online sports betting in IN for the better part of a year.
In Indiana, it started with Senate Bill 552. SB 552 was one of the first attempts to get online gambling legalized in the state of Indiana. After being approved by the Senate, then rewritten without mobile betting, the bill was signed into law in 2019. An amendment was made to indeed allow mobile betting from smartphones in Indiana: the final text of HB 1015 does allow a provision for mobile betting, tucked into Chapter 5, Section 12 of the bill.
After being tossed back and forth, amended and re-amended, the final version of HB 1015 was signed into law in summer 2019. We expect mobile betting apps to start piling in as soon as operators have paid licensing fees and signed contracts– licensing fees were recently reduced from $100,000 to $10,000.
Indiana Sports Betting Apps
When we start seeing legal online sports betting flood the Indiana market, it’s going to be dizzying to figure out which online sportsbooks to choose! Look for sportsbooks offering trusted service and hosting promotions that work for you. Then, when you’re ready to start playing, follow these simple instructions to get the apps on your device.
