Indiana mobile sports betting is going live next week and it has the potential to be a game-changer.
When retail sports betting went live in the Hoosier State on Sept. 1, that was a mere shadow of what Indiana sports betting could become. The advent of mobile betting will bring wagering on sports for Indiana residents and visitors into its fullness.
Why Indiana mobile sports betting is just now rolling out
When the state legalized sports betting earlier this year, it included mobile sports betting. There’s a difference between legal and live, however.
The Indiana Gaming Commission needed time to draft regulations for mobile sports betting. The same body had to process applications for licenses and create procedures for handling issues that may arise.
Much of that is now done, and the IGC has given the green light.
Though there are 13 retail sportsbooks in the Hoosier State, all of which partner with a company that has a mobile component, that doesn’t mean all of those sportsbook operators are going live online on the same day.
In fact, only one of Indiana’s casinos is going to be part of the first wave of legal online sports betting in Indiana.
Rush Street Interactive aiming to lick the competition
French Lick Casino partnered with Rush Street Interactive when it launched its retail sportsbook earlier this month. It became the first to receive approval to launch its online sportsbook on Wednesday.
According to the authorization, the online sportsbook can start accepting wagers on Thursday, October 3. Indiana residents and visitors can access it through desktop or mobile web browsers along with an app for smartphones and tablets.
Though it seems French Lick will have a “monopoly” upon launch, it shouldn’t be that way for long. Other operators submitted their applications already.
If the IGC replicates the pace of approval of licenses for retail books, Indianans should have several options soon after Oct. 3.
Regardless of the number of available mobile sports betting apps in the coming weeks, everything is about to change for bettors in the state. It’s important to keep a few things in mind.
What you need to bet on sports online in Indiana
Unlike other states like Iowa, Indiana residents and bettors from out of state do not have to register to place bets online in person. All of the same requirements for in-person wagers will apply, however, such as being at least 21 years of age.
In the registration process, online books will require all the same information as retail books to place a bet, including:
- Your legal name
- Legal residence
- Proof of age
The book will also ask for a social security number for tax purposes.
If you’re registered with Rush Street Interactive in other states like New Jersey or Pennsylvania, that doesn’t mean you can bypass registration to use French Lick’s mobile book. French Lick is a separate entity from the casinos in those states.
Even if you’re registered with French Lick’s retail sportsbook, you may have to complete registration again to use the mobile platform. Bettors in Pennsylvania were required to do so when online betting went live there and it’s likely Indiana may follow the same pattern.
Bettors who live outside of Indiana should note that they do not have to be legal residents of the Hoosier State to place a mobile bet. They do need to physically be within the state’s borders, however.
With all those particulars out of the way, it’s time to get to the fun. Online wagering should be a boon for sports betting in Indiana.
The power of online betting is beyond questioning
Bettors in other states with online sportsbooks do so at a high rate. For instance, over 80% of bets are of the online variety in New Jersey.
Nothing compares to the convenience of online sportsbooks when it comes to placing a bet on your couch.
Because of that convenience, the number of bets placed should explode. More revenue from sports betting means more freedom for sportsbooks to run special promotions which, in turn, mean better odds for bettors.
More revenue for sportsbooks means more tax dollars for local municipalities and the state. That’s one of the primary reasons to legalize sports betting in the first place.
When mobile sports betting fully matures, it will mark another major milestone in the history of gambling in Indiana. There is now a due date for the birth of online betting.
