The race to become the fourth legal Indiana mobile sportsbook is on. Because of a BetIndiana-Sportradar partnership, that race may soon be decided.
The Majestic Star’s sportsbook operator will use Sportradar’s technology for its mobile wagering platform. It’s one of the first in the United States to employ Sportradar’s services in such a way.
Details on the BetIndiana-Sportradar partnership
BetIndiana is the sportsbook partner of Spectacle Entertainment. Illinois-based USA Sports Gaming LLC owns BetIndiana. Spectacle operates the Majestic Star casinos in Indiana.
The Majestic Star properties will soon be moving inland and re-branding as the Hard Rock. It’s uncertain exactly when the sportsbook will launch, though the hope is to do so in time for Super Bowl LIV.
Regardless of when that happens, BetIndiana will operate on Sportradar software. The partnership gives BetIndiana access to Sportradar’s data feed along with the entire suite of sportsbook products like integrity monitoring.
Sportradar and BetIndiana Deal Provides Unique Opportunity
Executives from both companies are happy about the deal.
“We are pleased to be working with BetIndiana, a true pioneer in the US betting market,” said Neale Deeley, vice president of US sales and gaming for Sportradar, in a press release. “Given its focus on mobile and online sports betting, we are well-positioned to provide BetIndiana with the data, tools and services it needs to succeed for many years to come.”
“Partnering with Sportradar, another business that’s aggressively diving into the US market, was the right fit for us,” said Frank Ignatius, president and founder of USA Sports Gaming, in the same release. “As a startup in a competitive landscape, it’s crucial that we hit the ground running with a hyper-focus on growth. Sportradar gives us the opportunity to do that, and we look forward to continuing our journey with them by our side.”
While BetIndiana won’t be the first to market, it will be unique. Instead of operating both a brick-and-mortar and online sportsbook in Indiana, it will be a hybrid of those two.
The sportsbook will operate entirely online, but there will be a space inside the Hard Rock that will have the aesthetic of a retail sportsbook. There won’t be betting kiosks or windows in that space, however.
Why BetIndiana needs to hustle on promotion
As Ignatius alluded to, using Sportradar’s system allows BetIndiana to focus on another important aspect of the business: marketing. In that regard, there is a lot of work to do.
Unlike other sportsbook operators in the state like DraftKings and FanDuel, BetIndiana won’t hit the market with a high level of brand recognition.
Because of that, it made a lot of sense to employ Sportradar’s turnkey solution. BetIndiana can spend those resources on customer acquisition and marketing.
Given the gap the company has to make up not only in brand awareness but in age in the market, that’s going to require a big effort. It will be interesting to see how much Spectacle will spend to traverse that gulf.
That marketing spree likely won’t start until an actual launch date is announced. While we don’t yet know when that will be, we know that the product will be powered by Sportradar.
