The Hoosier State is known for its professional and collegiate sports teams, and the countless fans who adore them. From the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts and the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, to the multitude of elite NCAA sports teams, and everything in between, you won’t find a more pridefully competitive state anywhere in the country. Now, thanks to progressive politicians, the competition just got amplified by the legalization of live, online and mobile sports betting in Indiana. Sports aficionados have a wide array of legal betting apps to choose from.
Efforts to modernize the state’s gaming industry have been ongoing for some time now. Those familiar with the situation know that games of chance aren’t something the government generally or hastily approves of; evident by the long-standing history of gambling laws that forced casinos to preside on riverboats, floating just offshore on the Ohio River, or Lake Michigan. It was around the same time riverboat casinos were allowed to come ashore that the first form of online betting – paid daily fantasy sports – was legalized.
Since then, fantasy has evolved into reality with the legalization of traditional sports betting in Indiana, not just at licensed casinos and race tracks, but also on the internet. The first IGC-licensed mobile sportsbooks went live in October 2019. This website is dedicated providing interested Hoosiers with all the factual and unbiased information they need to make informed choices regarding the state’s burgeoning iGaming market.
iGaming Guidance: Answers to Common Questions |
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Barely a year has passed since the first land-based, online and mobile sportsbooks went live in Indiana. We understand that most of our readers visit our website out of curiosity, seeking more information about the legality, safety, and limitations of iGaming. Therefore, we’d like to begin with a quick Q&A covering answers to the most common questions. Most of you know that online gambling has been around far longer than it’s been legal in the Hoosier State. The first internet sportsbooks, as well as internet casinos and poker rooms, appeared in the late 1990s. Lawmakers cut off access to these sites by prohibiting all forms of internet betting in 2005. Now that some forms are legal, there’s a lot of confusion to be sorted out. With that in mind, we’ve spent a great deal of time researching the online gambling laws of Indiana. Please have a look below at the five most common questions we’ve come across, followed by factual, unbiased responses, provided to the best of our considerable knowledge. Quick Q&A
Want to learn more? These questions and many more are answered in much greater detail in our comprehensive Q&A, found here: |
IGC Licensed & Legal Sportsbook Websites |
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Since sports betting laws went into effect in May 2019, the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) has been very busy finalizing regulations, investigating license applications, issuing certificates, and monitoring the operation of more than a dozen internet betting websites. There are, at present, 10 authorized online sportsbook operators, and 5 paid daily fantasy sports (DFS) operators; a total of 13 combined (two of which represent both markets). The following is a complete list of all online and mobile sports betting sites in Indiana. Click on any operator below to learn more about it. You can learn more about DFS betting operators here. |
What IN Bettors Can & Can’t Do Online |
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It wasn’t until 1988 that Indiana amended a 135+ year gambling prohibition to allow its first form of betting – the Hoosier Lottery. That single move gave lawmakers the motivation to push for additional gambling verticals. Within five years, pari-mutuel betting on horse races and gambling on riverboat casinos had become commonplace. Those particular methods of gambling have yet to make it to the online space – not in any legal form, that is. The first online betting vertical to be approved was daily fantasy sports. This came about in 2016. It took about a year for the gaming commission to set up a Paid DFS division to handle oversight of the fantasy sports market, issue licenses, and get websites up and running. No doubt, legal sports betting would have been considered much sooner, if only it weren’t proscribed by the federal government up until early 2018. At that point, political figureheads immediately began debating the topic of legalization. Studies were commissioned, voter polls were taken, and soon enough, it became evident that sports betting was a revenue stream worth tapping into. Again, it took about a year to get from point-A (legalization) to point-B (accepting bets). To date, these are the only two online betting activities that are legal in Indiana. They are only legal when the operation is conducted by an authorized, actively licensed operator, and only when the bettor is physically located within the state’s borders. Please know that wagering with any unauthorized, unlicensed bookmaker is illegal in Indiana. There are also some restrictions pertaining to betting on college sports teams. For reference, here’s a list of all the state’s legal betting markets, separated by land-based and online/mobile operation. Click on any item to learn more.
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Top IN Mobile Sportsbooks & Apps |
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When state lawmakers chose to authorize betting on sports, they passed sweeping legislation to approve both land-based and online sportsbook operations. The decision was made, in part, by the recommendation of an in-depth study in 2018 by Eilers & Krejcik. That study predicted more than half of all sports betting revenue (57%) would be generated by mobile bettors in the first year, increasing to about two-thirds (68%) by year five. Considering the current state of affairs – 2020 was a tumultuous year, to say the least – it’s safe to say the online and mobile side of the Indiana sports betting industry has exceeded those projections. Initial data for the 2020 fiscal year shows digitized betting options accounted for 70% of revenue, outperforming predictions by leaps and bounds. To your benefit, operators are giving fans of sports gambling in the Hoosier state a modestly balanced variety of choices. There are currently 10 online platforms to choose from, each with their own unique distinctions. Which Sportsbook is Right for You?For us, choosing a single sportsbook to represent the ‘best option’ for every potential member is just not possible. It’s less about the qualities each site offers, and more about the qualities each bettor is looking. Just as every bookmaker is different in some way, so are the members they hope to attract. Some sites offer a larger variety of sports, or more types of sports bets. Some are more generous with their promotions. Others have more payment methods to choose from. With this in mind, we’ve taken the time to script a few feature reviews to help you make the best choice, according to your needs. One of the most common deal-breakers in the iGaming market is the availability of preferred deposit and withdrawal methods, or lack thereof. Likewise, mobile bettors are often drawn to the best user interface and in-app features. If any of these situations apply to you, the following pages may be of great help.
BetRivers Wins with Collective QualificationsIf we had to choose just one site to recommend to most of our readers, it would have to be BetRivers Indiana. It’s not the perfect site. It doesn’t check off every column in a full features review. Most notably, BetRivers doesn’t have a Fantasy Sports segment. That could be a deal breaker for some of you (although Indiana law requires partial sportsbook/DFS account segregation), but the ample features this operator does have are of remarkably superior quality. BetRivers was the first to receive a license and launch its online services in Indiana. Not only was its parent company quick to react to legislation, choosing a reputable partner in French Lick Resort, the IGC recognized Rush Street Interactive as an historic game-changer in the US iGaming market. Its sister-site, PlaySugarHouse, has been online in New Jersey since 2016, and was among the first to bring regulated online sports betting to that state – to the entire United States, for that matter – in August 2018. But reputation isn’t everything. IN BetRivers presents Hoosiers with more sports lines than more than half of the state’s operators, including oft-overlooked wagers on Aussie Rules football. Every type of bet is offered, including a wide selection of props, with odds available in all formats. Furthermore, BetRivers offers one of the largest payment method menus, with 8 ways to deposit and 5 ways to cash out, including America’s favorite eWallet, PayPal. Other fine qualities include the BetRivers welcome bonus and VIP program. New members receive a 100% up to $250 first-time deposit match, with just 1x wagering requirements attached. From there, players get to choose what type and size bonuses they want to receive. A selection of promotions are available for exchange in the bonus store. Players can buy them with the points they earn in the iRUSH Rewards loyalty program. You can learn more about these and more promotions, as well as all other BetRivers features, here: |
Current Affairs – Sports Wagering Market News |
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The American gambling industry is racing toward a new and exciting horizon. Every week it seems we’re learning of another state scripting, moving or passing legislation in regards to sports betting regulation. The legislative climate is just one of the many subjects you’ll find covered in our IN iGaming News section. Other topics include everything from odds on the biggest upcoming sporting events, to newly issued operator and vendor licenses, to fresh features being added at your favorite Indiana mobile sportsbooks. You can learn all about the latest news worthy events here: |
Legal Indiana Sports Betting in 2021
BetRivers is licensed and regulated on a state level by Indiana to operate legally. It offers a wide range of sport betting options – every popular game is covered. Mobile options are also covered for an “on-the-go” experience. Our editor pick for safe and legal betting in 2021.
