BUSINESS

Sports wagering continues growing in popularity in Indiana

Dan Carden
The Times, Munster

Interest in sports wagering continues to surge in Indiana, three months after sports bets were legalized at Hoosier State casinos, off-track betting facilities and on mobile devices.

Bettors wagered $147.3 million on professional and college sports in November, generating $883,361 in tax revenue for the state, according to data released Tuesday by the Indiana Gaming Commission.

That was a 61% increase compared to the $91.7 million in sports bets placed in October, and a whopping 327% more than the $34.5 million wagered in September.

On an annual basis, the amount of money bet on sports in Indiana in November equates to $1.8 billion in sports wagers over the course of a year.

Dan Nita, general manager of the Hammond Horseshoe Casino, said he expects the amount wagered on sports to continue growing — at least through the Super Bowl in February — as more people become aware of how and where to bet on sports.

“We have not reached any kind of saturation point,” Nita said.

In November, nearly half of the sports wagers statewide were placed through East Chicago’s Ameristar Casino, primarily using its DraftKings mobile application and website.

Altogether, mobile wagers accounted for $96.2 million of the statewide total, or 65%, according to Indiana Gaming Commission records.

Besides DraftKings, mobile wagering is available through FanDuel, in association with Michigan City’s Blue Chip Casino, and BetIndiana, in association with the French Lick Resort and Casino.

The Hammond Horseshoe Casino, located just inside the Indiana border adjacent to Chicago, was the top retail sportsbook in the state, tallying nearly $13 million in wagers in November, according to the Gaming Commission.

Nita said The Book has boosted attendance at the state’s largest casino by 10-12% compared to last year, and helped contribute to similar growth in play at table games as well as increased food and beverage sales.

In fact, Nita said, the interest in table games among sports bettors is so high, the Horseshoe is likely to relocate some tables to the sports wagering area on the casino floor to better accommodate fans watching sports on TV who want to play blackjack or another table game at the same time.

Gaming Commission data bears out Nita’s observations. The Horseshoe’s “win,” or revenue after paying bets on table games and slot machines, grew 7.5% in November, compared to November 2018.

November win also was up 4.6% year-over-year at the Blue Chip, down 2% at Ameristar, and down 5.2% at Gary’s Majestic Star Casinos, which don’t offer in-person sports wagering.

James Wrzosek demonstrates the use of one of the computers in November at Fandduel Sportsbook at Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City. Sports wagering continues to surge in Indiana.