WynnBET Joins IN Online Sportsbook Lineup

WynnBET Joins IN Online Sportsbook Lineup

Indiana is poised for another year of sports betting expansion, with Wynn Sports set to launch WynnBET any day now. With parent company Wynn Resorts having no existing land-based casinos in the state, Wynn Sports was obligated to seek out an established casino partner. Having done so, the IGC was quick to laud the efforts of its latest gaming licensee.

“Wynn Sports has substantially demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Commission that its mobile sports wagering operation meets the requirements of Indiana Code Article 4-38, the Commission’s Emergency Regulations, and all Commission Directives related to sports wagering activities. As such and pursuant to its launch date request, I hereby AUTHORIZE Wynn Sports to commence mobile sports wagering activities within the State of Indiana on March 25, 2021.”

-Sara Gonso Tait, Executive Director, IGC

First New 2021 Indiana Mobile Sportsbook

Indiana’s very first licensed and regulated online and mobile sportsbooks began launching in late 2019, with additional operators appearing throughout last year. By the time 2020 came to a close, 10 digital sportsbooks were live and operational. Since then, the race has been underway to be the first to launch a new IN sportsbook in 2021. It looks like WynnBET is going to win that race, with probable runner up Barstool Sportsbook trailing just behind.

There are two other entrants in the race with a license in hand, but no indication or even speculation of an intended launch date. After partnering with Majestic Star Casino in 2019, Indiana Sports Gaming, LLC, received IGC authorization to launch BetIndiana more than a year ago, in January 2020. At the end of November, Smarkets Holdings USA was approved to launch SBK Indiana with its partner, Rising Star Casino. Neither has made a move since.

Just last week, on March 23, 2021, Penn National’s subsidiary, Penn Sports Interactive, received authorization to open Barstool Sportsbook alongside Hollywood Casino. Considering how long BetIndiana and SBK have put off their launches, it should come as no surprise that Barstool and WynnBET didn’t hit the ground running from day one. They are, however, considered the most likely to host a launch party in the upcoming weeks.

After receiving a license on March 1, WynnBET was given the green light to launch as early as March 25, but has yet to do so. It’s not certain what the hold-up might be. Maybe they’re double checking their ducks, making sure they’re all lined up in a nice, neat little row prior to launch. Whatever the case, Wynn Sports easily has the potential to beat Barstool to the punch, following their impending rival’s stated ambition to “be live in Indiana hopefully by the end of April.”

Wynn Sports US Market Presence

Wynn’s Indiana sportsbook operation will mark the fifth U.S. market launch for the company. WynnBET went live with its first online sports wagering portal in New Jersey in November 2020. One month later, the sportsbook debuted in Colorado. Next up was the launch of WynnBET Michigan in January 2021, followed most recently by their Virginia launch in the first week of March. WynnBET is also slated for release in Tennessee, following that state’s approval back in February.

WynnBET Sportsbook Availability, as of March 29, 2021

• Colorado
• Indiana (Coming Soon)
• Michigan
• New Jersey
• Tennessee (Coming Soon)
• Virginia

Last Ditch Efforts for Rising Star?

Rising Star Casino has now partnered with three IN online sportsbooks – more than any of their competitors. Their first partner, BetAmerica, has performed so terribly since its December 2019 debut that its parent company, Churchill Downs, is completely rebranding the company as TwinSpires, in hopes of breathing new life into it.

Historically, BetAmerica has drawn the least revenue, month after month, year over year, than any other online sportsbook in Indiana. Those who know the market well can probably figure out why. BetAmerica took a different path than all of its rivals. The website offered only a modest selection of sports to bet on, and chose not to expand its services to a mobile sports betting app. That online-only approach, combined with lackluster features and limited sports variety, could well have been their undoing.

Here’s some data that should help put in perspective just how badly BetAmerica is performing compared to the rest of Indiana’s market. The two lowest revenue generating Indiana sportsbooks for the month of January 2021 were BetAmerica and Caesars Sportsbook. BetAmerica hauled in just $171,000 in bets. Caesars, the second worst, attracted nearly four times that much with $677,000 worth of wagers.

Land-based partner Rising Star has under-performed in the retail sportsbook market, as well. In the same month, the casino’s sports handle amounted to just $107,000 – even less than their online partner’s portal. The next closest was French Lick Casino, which handled $800,000 in bets.

Rising Star, clearly fed up with being dead last in both live and virtual betting markets, has signed two new partners in hopes of flourishing as a late bloomer. As indicated above, Rising Star is the new land-based, IGC-licensed gaming partner of both SBK Indiana and WynnBET. The company is surely hopeful that new partnerships with these two highly recognized brands will increase both their digital and land-based revenue.