Indiana Sports Betting Overview

While other states have more tumultuous gambling timelines, all but one of the more than a dozen retail sportsbooks still in operation in the state opened between September and November 2019. There has been little interest in raising the tax rate as Midwestern states Ohio and Illinois already have done, and also no particular controversies.

Best Online Sportsbooks in Indiana

In the fiscal years 2020-2024, FanDuel claimed 42.9% of the Indiana sportsbook market share while DraftKings accumulated 34.2% of the total sports betting handle.

That two-way battle of the two companies once just known for just daily fantasy sports has played out in nearly every state since the U.S. Supreme Court in May 2018 ruling voided a 26-year-old federal law that effectively ended Nevada’s monopoly on sports betting.

BetMGM, at 10.1%, and Caesars – which took over the William Hill sportsbooks in 2021 – at 5.1% were distant market share runnersup in the state in that span.

Fanatics and BetRivers are among the other major national sportsbook operating in the state.

Best Betting Promos from Online Sportsbooks in IN

In Indiana, if you are a new user, with your first $5 bet you receive $300 in free bets in both the latest FanDuel promotions.

Do you already like to spend money on sportswear and collectibles? If so, Fanatics may be for you. New bettors at their sportsbook simply risk up to $200 per day for the first 10 days. Any bet that loses gets a consolation prize of a matching amount of FanCash that is redeemable for sports apparel and collectibles on its website.

List of Online & Retail Betting Sites in Indiana

There are currently 11 online sportsbooks and 15 retail sportsbooks in Indiana.

Online Sportsbooks and Official Launch Dates

1. DraftKings – Oct. 3, 2019
2. BetRivers – Oct. 3, 2019
3. FanDuel – Oct. 22, 2019
4. BetMGM – Feb. 27, 2020
5. Caesars – May 18, 2020
6. Bally Bet – Dec. 20, 2021
7. Hard Rock – Sept. 6, 2022
8. Smarkets – Oct. 5, 2022
9. ESPN Bet – Nov. 14, 2023
10. Fanatics – Feb. 27, 2024

Retail Sportsbooks and Official Launch Dates

1. Ameristar East Chicago Casino – Sept. 1, 2019
2. Indiana Grand Casino (Shelbyville) – Sept. 1, 2019
3. Hollywood Casino (Lawrenceburg) – Sept. 1, 2019
4. Winner’s Circle OTB (Indianapolis) – Sept. 3, 2019
5. Horseshoe Casino (Hammond) – Sept. 4, 2019
6. Blue Chip Casino (Michigan City) – Sept. 5, 2019
7. Caesars Southern Indiana (Elizabeth) – Sept. 5, 2019
8. French Lick Casino – Sept. 6, 2019
9. Belterra Casino Resort (Florence) – Sept. 9, 2019
10. Winner’s Circle OTB (Clarksville) – Sept. 12, 2019
11. Bally’s Casino Evansville – Sept. 12, 2019 (opened as a Tropicana Casino)
12. Winner’s Circle OTB (New Haven) – Sept. 19, 2019
13. Harrah’s Hoosier Park (Anderson) – Sept. 19, 2022
14. Rising Star Casino – Nov. 11, 2019
15. Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana (Gary) – May 11, 2022

What You Can Legally Wager On in the Hoosier State

The menu of sports betting in Indiana isn’t quite as extensive as in some states, but there still are enough exotic offerings beyond the traditional mainstream sports that residents are unlikely to notice. Badminton, bull riding, darts, handball, and rowing are among the many options for sportsbooks to offer if they choose to do so.

Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating contest and The Academy Awards also are on that menu – but unlike most states that permit the latter, the Emmys and Grammys awards are not approved for wagering.

In an unusual twist, Indiana residents can wager on individual college player prop bets – but only pre-game, not live.

Official Sports Teams

The NFL’s Indianapolis Colts and the NBA’s Indiana Pacers are the lone traditional sports league options, but state residents are almost as focused on the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, with Caitlin Clark as arguably the most famous female athlete in the U.S. Indiana not only allows for WNBA betting, but also wagering on the WNBA draft and All-Star Game.

The state also is home to the University of Notre Dame, whose college football program is among the most iconic in the 150+-year-old history of the sport. Indiana University, Purdue, and Ball State are the other Division I football programs. Butler, Evansville, Indiana State, IU-Indianapolis, Purdue-Fort Wayne, Southern Indiana, and Valparaiso are the other D-1 basketball schools in the state.

Betting on Sports in Indiana vs Neighboring States

The Midwest has many of the largest sports betting handle states in the U.S.

Indiana, with $23.4 billion in handle through August 2025 (9th in the nation), trails neighboring Illinois ($51.9 billion, 3rd) but so far has edged out Michigan ($22.4 billion, 10th) and Ohio ($21.8 billion, 11th) while staying comfortably ahead of Kentucky ($5.1 billion, 20th). With a large chunk of the state’s population so close to Chicago, Indiana would lose countless tax dollars if those residents – rather than staying home – had to head across the Illinois border to make their legal bets.

Timeline of Legalization of Sports Betting in Indiana

It took almost eight months from the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in mid-2018 that allowed any state to offer sports betting until a bill was acted upon in the statehouse. Still, Indiana became the second Midwestern state – and the 10th in the nation – to launch the new form of legal gambling.

• Feb. 4, 2019 – The Indiana House of Representatives voted to approve HB15 by a 76-8-1 vote.
• March 28, 2019 – The state Senate’s vote to approve was 10-0.
• May 8, 2019 – Gov. Eric Holcomb signs the bill into law.
• Sept. 1, 2019 – The first retail casino sportsbooks accept their initial wagers.
• Oct. 3, 2019 – Mobile sports betting debuts in Indiana.
• Feb. 27, 2020 – BetMGM joined the mobile sportsbook competition, and at least one more current operator came aboard from 2021-2024.
• May 14, 2021 – Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana opened to the public in the city of Gary, and its retail sportsbook debuted on the property a year later.

Thoughts About the Sports Betting Launch

The first sportsbooks in the state less than four months after the gambling activity became legal – just in time for football season. But unlike other states with quick turnarounds, there seem to have been few if any missteps in the rollout.

Indiana Sports Betting Revenue & Handle

Indiana is the 17th-largest state by population and ranks 9th in all-time sports betting handle heading into the fall 2025 football season. There are 11 larger states with full-fledged sports betting, so Hoosiers have held their own nationally in this regard.

Discover top-rated sportsbooks

Official Team and Sportsbook Partnerships

There are several partnerships, not only between state teams and sportsbooks, but also between casinos and sportsbooks.

Sports Teams and Sportsbooks

• Indianapolis Colts x Caesars
• Indianapolis Colts x Fanatics
• Indiana Pacers x DraftKings

 Casinos and Sportsbooks

• Ameristar Casino x DraftKings
• Belterra Casino x BetMGM
• Belterra Casino x FanDuel
• Blue Chip Casino x FanDuel
• French Lick Casino x BetRivers
• Hollywood Casino x Fanatics
• Hollywood Casino x ESPN Bet
• Horseshoe Casino x Caesars
• Rising Star Casino x Smarkets

Licensing & Oversight Since 1993

The Indiana Gaming Commission says its mission is to “ensure the honesty and integrity of the gaming industry in Indiana through effective regulation, oversight, and enforcement.” The agency also vows to promote responsible gaming, prevent criminal activity, and ensure that all gaming is conducted fairly and legally.

The commission was formed in 1993, just ahead of legalized riverboat casino gambling arriving in the state.

Responsible Gaming in IN

As a result of legislation passed in 2003, the commission maintains a Voluntary Exclusion Program allowing individuals to self-exclude from all Indiana casinos by completing just one form.

Its cousin is the Internet Self-Restriction Program, designed specifically for mobile sports wagering. This program allows individuals to voluntarily request to be barred from participating in any such gambling. A person may select the length of self-restriction of one year or five years.

Following enrollment, a patron is allowed to withdraw the full amount remaining in their sportsbook accounts, and all sports wagering operators must stop all direct marketing efforts to these individuals.

In addition, the Indiana Council on Problem Gambling offers both a hot line phone number and a texting option.

• Indiana Gambling Help Line: 1-800-994-8448
• Text INGAMB to 53342

Sports Betting in Indiana – Is It Worth It?

Top Reasons to Bet in Indiana

1. In fall of 2025, the best reason is to have even more incentive to root on the home-state Indianapolis Colts, who in the preseason had sportsbook odds of Over or Under 7 1/2 wins for the entire 17-game season. Instead, the “Cinderella Story” Colts jumped out to an NFL-best 7-1 start just eight weeks into the season – and suddenly, a march toward the Super Bowl doesn’t seem so far-fetched.
2. Notre Dame football has had a hold on a major component of football fans across Indiana, with a debut season in 1887, a first national title more than 100 years ago, 15 national championships, and 22 undefeated seasons. The Fighting Irish just reached the NCAA playoff title game in January 2025.
3. Turning to men’s basketball, Purdue tops The Associated Press preseason poll for 2025-26 for the first time in school history. The Notre Dame women’s team, meanwhile, was ranked 15th prior to the start of the season.

Top Reasons Not to Bet in Indiana

1. While the Indiana Pacers reached the NBA Finals in June 2025, the team lost its best player, Tyrese Haliburton, with a torn Achilles tendon that will cost him the 2025-26 season. After coming so close to their first NBA title, Pacers fans may have a hard time watching – or betting on – a decimated team that isn’t even expected to reach the playoffs.
2. Not only did Caitlin Clark suffer through an injury-plagued 2025 WNBA season, there is a strong possibility of a 2026 lockout due to a financial dispute between the players and the league. That means that even a May 2026 return for Clark may not be in the cards.

Final Thoughts on Sports Betting in Indiana

It didn’t seem so important at the time, but the quick pace of sports betting legalization proved to be a godsend to the state’s casinos. That’s because a dozen of those gambling destinations operated along with its new sportsbook attraction for six months before COVID-19 caused a national business shutdown.

Four online sportsbooks – all affiliated with casinos – also were up and running pre-COVID, with two more opening up shop in the early days. That brought a continuing revenue stream to those casinos, and allowed state residents inclined to place wagers with multiple places to go.

There was a bill introduced in January 2025 to raise the sports betting tax rate from 9.5% to 11%, but for whatever reason there seems to be little appetite in the statehouse for a hike anywhere close to a more typical U.S. rate of around 20%.

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