Three more Indiana sportsbooks have recently opened or are about to open just as mobile sports betting prepares to launch.
Two Indiana casinos that weren’t part of the initial wave are on this shortlist. The other facility breaks the ice for off-track betting sites.
Details on three more Indiana sportsbooks opening
The sportsbook at the Tropicana in Evansville received authorization to begin operating on Sept. 12. This is significant because it brings William Hill, one of the leading national sportsbook brands to the Hoosier State.
William Hill operates both retail and sports betting apps and can be found in:
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- West Virginia
Additionally, two more facilities are authorized to start accepting wagers on Sept. 19. Those are Harrah’s Hoosier Park Casino in Anderson and the Winner’s Circle off-track betting site in New Haven. The New Haven Winner’s Circle becomes the first OTB site in Indiana to offer sports betting.
When these books open, that will cut the list of casinos without a sportsbook in Indiana down drastically. Only the Majestic Star casinos, the Rising Star and the Four Winds South Bend will remain. The Majestic Stars and Rising Star do have plans to open books.
Caesars Entertainment operates both of those properties. Because of that, Caesars will be a prominent operator in the state when online betting launches.
For now, though, the live sportsbook options for betting on college football and NFL have expanded throughout the state. And that is a good thing for Indiana bettors.
Increased options will create more competition
A simple tenet of capitalist economic theory is that competition is good for consumers. It gives those who sell products and services a reason to innovate and price themselves competitively.
That translates to the sports betting industry, as well. Sportsbooks tend to post better odds in an effort to not be outdone by the competition.
With Caesars having a greater stake in Indiana and William Hill making a foray into the state, the competition has intensified. All the books will be looking to dominate the coming mobile market.
The Indiana Gaming Commission may authorize online wagering as early as next month. Whenever that date comes, here are some of the most likely online operators:
- FanDuel
- BetRivers
- Caesars
- Fox Bet
- William Hill
While it’s possible that others like PointsBet could eventually operate in Indiana as well, those are the operators that already have primary access to the market through physical sportsbooks.
While it’s uncertain exactly when those operators will begin accepting online wagers, it’s unlikely they will risk falling behind the competition.
When sports betting apps in Indiana go live, it’s likely to dominate. In other states with online options, eight out of every 10 bets placed are done over the internet instead of in person.
The investment that the physical sportsbooks represent means that Caesars and William Hill are likely to devote further resources to Indiana. Among those possibilities are advertising on external media and promotional campaigns at the retail spaces.
While it’s too early to tell which operator will lead the sports betting market, the opening of online sportsbooks in Indiana is a huge win for sports bettors.
