INDIANA SPORTS BETTING

Sports Selection

Each Indiana sportsbook offers an extensive market selection on all major US sports like the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL. However, that doesn’t mean that other markets get neglected, so if you’re into soccer, tennis, golf, MMA, or other niche sports, you’ll find plenty of betting options as well.

Bonuses and Promotions

A welcome bonus is likely the main thing to attract you to a given sportsbook, and it’s quite understandable. Welcome offers can double your initial deposit or provide a few free bets to start with. A sportsbook might offer occasional odds boosts and other exciting promos from that point on. 

Of course, not all sportsbooks are the same when it comes to rewarding their customers, so we rated them according to this aspect.

Quality of Odds

Saving you the trouble of shopping for the most valuable odds and lines, we thoroughly checked the quality of odds on all IN betting sites, which strongly affected their ratings. Still, we advise you to register to as many different IN sportsbooks as possible to have a chance of reacting quickly when you find the best odds on a given market.

Mobile Betting Apps

The functionality of a given sportsbook’s mobile app is definitely worthy of your consideration, as you’ll likely want to place bets on the go from time to time. An app must work fluently, be compatible with both iOS and Android, and have a number of features that promise to improve your overall betting experience.

Banking Options and Features

The more payment options a betting site accepts, the better it is ranked. Every sportsbook should allow its users to seamlessly complete deposits and withdrawals using various methods, from cards to online banking to in-person payments. A worthwhile betting site should also have optimal limits, understandable fees, and quick payout processing times.

Customer Care

No matter how functional and intuitive an online sportsbook might be, you’re likely to run into issues from time to time. In such occurrences, your best friend is the sportsbook’s customer support, which must be available day and night and easily reachable through multiple modes of contact, primarily live chat and email.

Brief History of Gambling in Indiana

Indiana changed its stance on gambling multiple times throughout its history, going from unofficial lotteries to total prohibition to embracing multiple gambling verticals known today. 

In 1851, Indiana residents voted to prohibit lotteries, and practically all forms of gambling were illegal for the next century and a half. Naturally, gambling continued to operate outside of the law in this period, as the enforcement of anti-gambling laws was relatively loose.

The first changes to the 1851 amendment came in 1988, which resulted in the authorization of the state lottery, named Hoosier Lottery. The new amendment also allowed the legislature to introduce other forms of gambling in the following years, starting with the pari-mutuel wagering legalized in 1989. Off-track betting was also allowed, with the first parlors opening in 1995.

Although the first casino bill failed in 1989, it led to a non-binding referendum that won voters’ approval. A 1991 bill came to place in an effort to legalize riverboat casinos but was rejected by the Senate. A few more legalization attempts happened in the next couple of years until riverboat casinos finally got the green light in 1993.

The state allowed up to 11 casino licenses on specified locations but needed the approval of local voters. Most were approved, with the first casino opening occurring in late 1995 in Evansville. In the meantime, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians became a federally approved tribe. It would later receive permission to open the Four Winds Casino, which still remains the only tribal casino in Indiana.

Multiple casinos would open on Indiana’s rivers in the next couple of decades, with several racetracks being approved to become racinos. In 2015, riverboat casinos were allowed to operate as permanent land-based venues. 

While all this was happening, there were few mentions of sportsbooks due to the federal ban on sports wagering. However, things would slowly start to change in 2016 with the introduction of daily fantasy sports and later in 2018 with the fall of PASPA.

Sports Betting in Indiana: Timeline

Given that most other forms of gambling have been legal in Indiana since the 1990s, it wasn’t surprising to see the Hoosier State push for sports betting legalization once the termination of federal ban in 2018. However, technically, the story of sports betting in Indiana started a couple of years earlier with the introduction of daily fantasy sports.

That said, here are all the major events that led to the Indiana sports betting market being where it is today:

• March 2016: Gov. Mike Pence signed bill S 339, making Indiana the second state, after Virginia, to authorize daily fantasy sports. The bill proposed a $50,000 licensing fee and $5,000 renewal fees for DFS operators, with FanDuel and DraftKings being among the first to apply. The DFS bill took effect on July 1, 2016.
• January 2018: Sports betting bills started appearing in front of the Indiana legislature but got initially rejected.
• May 2018: The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) gets overturned, ending Nevada’s monopoly on sports betting.
• January 2019: HB 1015 entered the picture, although the Senate’s version of the bill (S 552) had some trouble going forward. 
• April 2019: The details between the bills were ironed out and resulted in a compromised bill that passed both the House and the Senate.
• May 2019: Gov. Eric Holcomb signed bill HB 1015 on May 8, officially starting the age of legal sports betting in Indiana.
• September 2019: Punters made first wagers in Indiana’s newly opened sportsbook venues.
• October 2019: DraftKings and BetRivers become the first online sportsbook in Indiana with a successful launch on October 3. FanDuel and BetAmerica soon foolow them.

Sports Betting in Indiana: License and Tax Information

Sports betting in Indiana is regulated by the Indiana Gaming Commission. Only existing statewide commercial casinos are eligible for receiving licenses. Each licensed gambling facility can have up to three skins, meaning they can partner with multiple online operators.

The initial licensing fee is $100,000, after which the operators must pay a $50,000 annual renewal fee. The tax rate is 9.5% of GGR, which is fairly reasonable compared to other states (most collect 10% to 20%) while benefiting the players who can, therefore, enjoy decent odds and lines.

How to Get Started in an Indiana Online Sportsbook

If you browsed through our list of top Indiana sports betting sites and found the right fit, all that’s left for you to do is start betting. This is a short and straightforward process that doesn’t require any jumping through hoops. But you never did it before, we’ll be more than glad to walk you through it:

• Visit the betting site or download an app. Whether you wish to bet on desktop or mobile, you should go to your desired sportsbook’s site or download its official app. You’ll typically find the download links in the website’s footer, but you can also go directly to your app store and find the app there.
• Register. Click on the Join or Sign Up button located at the top of the page. The operator will require some ID information such as your full name, address, date of birth, phone number, email, and the last four digits of your SSN. Claim that you have read the terms and conditions and type in the bonus code in the appointed field (if required).
• Complete a deposit. Once you create an account, you’ll see a deposit button through which you can access the cashier. Each IN sportsbook features several deposit options. Choose the most suitable one and type in the amount while minding the limits. The money should reach your account in several moments.

Make your first bet. The betting lobby on the homepage will usually feature live and upcoming events, but you can use the menu on the left side to browse future events from various sports. Explore the available games and markets and click on the corresponding odds to add one or more selections to your betting slip. Enter the stake and confirm the bet.

Eligibility and Geolocation

Indiana betting sites and apps use geolocation to confirm that you are physically present in the state while placing the bets. You do not have to be a resident of Indiana to bet with Indiana sportsbooks, but merely within state lines. The legal betting age is 21, and in-person registration is not required.

Indiana Sports Betting Partnerships With Professional Teams

Indiana has two major league teams in the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts and NBA’s Indiana Pacers, and operators have reached out to both from the very start, which resulted in the following sponsorship deals:

• Indianapolis Colts and Caesars: Caesars Entertainment inked a deal with the Colts in September 2021, making Caesars Sportsbook the team’s premier sports betting partner. The deal gives Caesars various marketing assets, including naming rights of the South Game at Lucas Oil Stadium, an in-stadium sportsbook lounge, and the operation of a free-to-play predictor game called Pick 6 accessible on the Colts mobile app.
• Indianapolis Colts and WynnBET: The Colts started the 2021 season with another partnership, making a deal with WynnBET. The operator became the team’s Proud Sportsbook Partner and opened a branded sports bar area at the Lucas Oil Stadium called the WynnBET Club. Additionally, Colts legend Robert Mathis became WynnBET’s brand ambassador.

Indiana Pacers and PointsBet: Indiana Pacers signed a multi-year deal with PointsBet prior to the 2020/21 season. The agreement gives PointsBet multiple advertisement assets across Gainbridge Fieldhouse and a presence on the team’s digital platforms.

What Types of Bets Can I Make in Indiana

The betting options on top-rated IN sportsbooks are plentiful. A major event is likely to feature dozens, if not hundreds of markets, while even the least popular games from niche sports consist of standard moneyline and totals bets, and potentially a few props.

Here’s a brief explanation of all the most common betting options found across Indiana betting sites:

• Moneyline: Betting the moneyline means you need to choose the winning side. The positive and negative odds represent the underdog and favorite, respectively. If you encounter the odds of -200, it means you’ll need to wager $200 to make a $100 profit. Alternatively, +150 odds suggest that a $100 wager will result in a $150 profit.
• Point spread: The spread has you predicting the outcome when taking into account extra points. The underdog will be given a set amount of points as a handicap, while the favorite will have that same number of points deducted from their score. This serves to even out the odds between two unevenly matched opponents.
• Over/under: Also called totals, the goal of this bet is to predict the total amount of points in a game or match, or whether they will be over or under a given number. The winner and the margin of victory are unimportant.
• Props: Props or proposition bets are a group of wagers that can relate to various specifics. For instance, player props have you predict the stats of individual players. You can also bet on who will win the coin toss, which team will lead after a given period, will a basketball game go into overtime, and much more. 
• Futures: As suggested by their name, futures are long-term bets. They are also very hard to predict, resulting in high potential profit. Betting on team futures will have you predict champions, conference/division winners, phase of elimination, and more. You can also explore player futures and predict the winners of individual seasonal awards like the MVP, Rookie of the Year, and others.
• Multi bets: Multi bets consider all bets that contain two or more selections (legs). There are several types of multi bets, the most common ones being parlays, teasers, and round robins. Several Indiana sportsbooks also feature same-game parlays that allow you to combine multiple bets from the same event.
• Live bets: In-play or live betting is wagering on games that have already started. The odds and lines shift in real-time depending on the current score and other factors, so being a quick decision-maker is crucial here. All bets we discussed above are available for live betting, except multi bets and futures.

PointsBetting: Since PointsBet sportsbook is available in Indiana, we should mention its unique and branded way of betting. PointsBetting — as it’s called — rewards your bets exponentially. Namely, the more your bet is correct, the more money you stand to win. On the downside, the more you’re wrong, the more money you’ll lose.

Are Any Bets Off-Limits?

Indiana bettors can make wagers on dozens of sports approved by the Indiana Gaming Commission, including Academy Awards winners, which was allowed in January 2020. However, other non-sporting events are off-limits, including political elections and TV shows. Esports betting is yet to be authorized.

There’s no betting on amateurs under the age of 18. Betting on collegiate games is allowed, including those that feature Indiana colleges, except for proposition bets.

Responsible Gambling in Indiana

Problem gambling is taken seriously by all states that authorize casinos and sportsbooks, and Indiana is no different. Every IN betting site has responsible gambling policies and tools that help players recognize and react to problematic gambling behavior.

This includes questionnaires, ways to set deposit and spending limits, cool-off time, self-exclusion, and links leading to professional organizations dealing in gambling addiction. The most notable local organization dealing with these issues is the Indiana Council of Problem Gambling.