Indiana Sportsbooks Cap 2021 With $463 Million December

Posted on January 12, 2022 - Last Updated on January 14, 2022

Sportsbooks remain on near-record pace to close an explosive year that generated nearly $4 billion in wagers, according to PlayIndiana

(LAS VEGAS) — Indiana’s online and retail sportsbooks closed the year with another busy month, producing more than $25 million in revenue on more than $460 million of December betting. Though just short of the record handle reached in November, December’s brisk action capped a groundbreaking year in Indiana that produced nearly $4 billion in wagers, according to PlayIndiana, which tracks the state’s gaming industry.

This fall has been so impressive for sportsbooks that it almost seems like anything other than a record month is a surprise,” said Jake Garza, an analyst for PlayIndiana.com. “In context, sportsbooks remained near all-time highs for wagering and revenue, continuing a remarkable four-month stretch in which wagering was up 73.8% year over year.”

Indiana’s sportsbooks generated $463.0 million in wagers in December, up 47.9% from $313.1 million in December 2020, according to official reporting released Wednesday. December betting fell just short of the record $463.7 million handle Indiana produced in November, as betting volume slowed to $14.9 million per day over the 31 days of December from $15.5 million per day in November.

Sportsbooks won $26.0 million in December, up 18.2% from $22.0 million in December 2020 but well short of November’s record $47.1 million. The month’s win produced $25.8 million in taxable revenue, yielding $2.5 million in state taxes.

December was the final chapter in an explosive year for Indiana sports betting. In 2021, Indiana sportsbooks generated:

  • $3.8 billion in online and retail wagers, up 116.4% from $1.8 billion in 2020. That will likely place Indiana seventh in betting volume among legal sports betting jurisdictions in the U.S.
  • $307.6 million in gross revenue, up 125.5% over $136.4 million in 2020.
  • $3.4 billion in online wagers alone, up 132.0% from $1.5 billion in 2020. 
  • $29.0 million in state taxes, up 120.6% over $13.2 million in 2020.

“2021 should be remembered as the year in which people fully embraced online sports betting, especially after a tumultuous 2020,” said Eric Ramsey, an analyst for the PlayUSA.com Network, which includes PlayIndiana.com. “As impressive as the year was, though, the market is not done growing. Sportsbooks are still reaching new customers and operators are offering increasingly innovative products. Meanwhile, Hoosiers are becoming more comfortable with sports betting in general, and more open to less conventional forms of wagering such as in-game betting.” 

Online wagering generated $422.8 million, or 91.3%, of December’s handle. The remaining $40.2 million of December betting was made at Indiana retail sportsbooks.

DraftKings paced the state’s online market with $148.2 million in bets in December, down from $166.2 million in November. The sportsbook won $6.4 million in gross receipts from those bets, down from $12.6 million in November. FanDuel followed with $120.5 million in online wagering, up from $109.8 million in November. FanDuel topped all operators in gross receipts with $7.5 million in gross receipts, down from $15.6 million in November.

The online leaders were followed by:

  • BetMGM ($49.9 million handle, up from $46.3 million in September; $3.6 million win, down from $4.5 million).
  • Caesars ($48.9 million handle, up from $43.9 million; $1.6 million win, down from $3.0 million)
  • Barstool ($16.6 million handle, down from $17.2 million; $1.1 million win, down from $962,701)
  • BetRivers ($15.2 million handle, up from $13.6 million; $1.0 million win, even with November)
  • PointsBet ($10.8 million handle, down from $12.4 million; $781,348 win, down from $962,701)
  • WynnBet ($3.9 million handle, even with November; $166,739 win, down from $281,620)
  • Unibet ($3.0 million handle, down from $4.3 million; $195,358 win, down from $325,267)
  • TwinSpires ($2.5 million handle, up from $1.4 million; $151,164 win, down from $197,330)
  • Betway ($1.6 million handle, up from $1.5 million;$132,166 loss, down from $32,990 loss)
  • TheScore Bet ($1.5 million handle, down from $2.3 million; $116,906 win, down from $281,641)
  • Bally Bet ($130,952 handle; $44,8974 win) 

Hollywood Lawrenceburg was once again the state’s top retail sportsbook with $13.9 million in wagers, up from $12.7 million in November. Ameristar East Chicago followed with a $5.7 million handle, ahead of Indiana Grand ($4.9 million), Harrah’s Hoosier Park ($4.7 million), and Horseshoe Hammond ($4.5 million).

“The biggest question for the year ahead for operators is what effect legalization in Ohio will have on Indiana’s sportsbooks, especially retail sportsbooks near the state border,” Garza said. “The Hoosier State has managed to expand even as sports betting in Illinois and Michigan have expanded, and should continue to flourish even with increased competition from another neighbor.”

Indiana sports betting revenue, December 2021

LicenseeOnline Brand(s)Total HandleOnline HandleRetail HandleGross RevenueTaxes (9.5%)
Ameristar East ChicagoDraftKings | theScore Bet$155,380,020$149,694,595$5,685,425$6,812,196$647,188
Blue ChipFanDuel$121,125,071$120,459,900$665,171$7,611,261$723,070
Harrah's Hoosier ParkCaesars$53,675,964$48,939,219$4,736,745$1,878,379$178,407
BelterraBetMGM | Betway$52,194,290$51,454,932$739,358$3,558,648$344,090
Hollywood LawrenceburgPointsBet | Barstool$41,322,377$27,461,364$13,861,013$3,336,037$316,963
French LickBetRivers$16,325,260$15,186,476$1,138,784$1,077,531$102,017
Horseshoe HammondUnibet$7,546,882$3,024,784$4,522,098$548,675$46,692
Rising StarTwinSpires | WynnBet$6,633,729$6,457,314$176,415$353,200$31,901
Indiana Grand$4,890,436$0$4,890,436$538,481$41,352
Caesars Southern Indiana$2,569,778$0$2,569,778$167,118$7,807
Bally's EvansvilleBally Bet$1,351,804$130,952$1,220,852$125,604$8,709
Total$463,015,611$422,809,536$40,206,075$26,007,130$2,448,196

For more on Indiana sportsbooks, visit PlayIndiana.com/news.

Contact: Zack Hall, Catena Media, 

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