Indiana’s 2021 Sports Betting Handle Surpasses $1 Billion In Four Months

The sports betting handle in Indiana experienced a decline in April.

Throughout the month, Hoosiers placed bets on sports amounting to $236 million. This was significantly less than the $316 million they wagered in March.

Nonetheless, the 25% decrease is hardly a surprising one. It’s common for sports betting markets to experience diminished numbers at this time of the year.

Even with the dip, Indiana’s sports betting handle has surpassed $1 billion in just the first four months of 2021.

Sports betting handle in Indiana for April 2021

The handle of $236 million in April generated over $20 million in revenue for sportsbooks, and almost $2 million in taxes for the state.

Here’s a brief explanation of the state’s handle:

Licensee	Online Brand(s)	Total Handle	Online Handle	Retail Handle	Revenue	State Tax
Ameristar East Chicago	DraftKings | theScore Bet	$87,631,485	$82,437,019	$5,194,466	$7,136,527	$677,970
Blue Chip	FanDuel	$67,628,249	$67,090,674	$537,575	$5,708,014	$542,261
Belterra	BetMGM	$31,377,566	$30,932,736	$444,830	$3,100,499	$294,547
Hollywood Lawrenceburg	PointsBet	$18,717,214	$10,287,400	$8,429,814	$2,178,860	$206,992
Tropicana Evansville	William Hill	$9,317,085	$8,482,255	$834,830	$524,880	$49,864
French Lick	BetRivers	$7,490,581	$7,260,939	$229,642	$385,283	$36,602
Horseshoe Hammond	Caesars | Unibet	$4,846,087	$2,009,477	$2,836,610	$60,223	$5,721
Indiana Grand		$3,792,157	$0	$3,792,157	$402,409	$38,229
Harrah’s		$3,504,269	$0	$3,504,269	$408,041	$38,764
Caesars Southern Indiana		$1,449,649	$0	$1,449,649	$125,983	$11,968
Rising Star	TwinSpires | WynnBet	$648,967	$570,480	$78,486	$48,457	$4,603
Total		$236,403,308	$209,070,980	$27,332,328	$20,079,176	$1,907,522

Baseball takes center stage.

It is common for states with legal online sports gambling to have a smaller handle in April.

Interest in betting typically aligns with the sports calendar throughout the year.

The majority of Indiana’s numbers in March were primarily boosted by the NCAA Tournament.

Though college basketball may be currently absent, Indiana still accumulated basketball bets amounting to $76 million throughout April. This made basketball the most favored sport for betting last month.

The NBA Playoffs are scheduled until late July, hence it’s likely that the basketball statistics will remain significant until that time.

Betting on football is the most popular sport in the US, and the upcoming NFL season is still several months away.

Nonetheless, Hoosiers continue to place bets on the NFL, with a total of $3 million wagered on the sport in April alone. This is largely due to futures bets and the NFL Draft.

Another significant contributor to Indiana’s sports betting revenue was baseball.

Since MLB Opening Day was on April 1, Hoosiers had a whole month to place bets on baseball.

Throughout the month, the sport accumulated bets worth $44 million.

Baseball takes the lead in sports betting during the spring and summer.

As other major sports leagues begin to wrap up their seasons, America’s pastime should take the spotlight in the upcoming months.

WynnBet and TwinSpires debut in Indiana.

During April, two new sports betting apps were launched in Indiana.

WynnBET began operations on April 1, allowing it a full month to establish its footing.

During its first month in Indiana’s market, the company received over $400,000 in wagers.

Taking everything into account, the sportsbook’s debut handle is somewhat disappointing.

Before WynnBET was launched in Indiana, the two most recent sportsbook launches were William Hill and theScore Bet.

To compare, theScore Bet garnered approximately $1.4 million in bets during its inaugural full month of operation.

William Hill’s debut handle of $4 million was likely enhanced by the company’s high brand recognition among gamblers nationwide.

TwinSpires entered the market on April 20, therefore, it didn’t have a complete month to kick-start its operations.

During that 10-day business period, the product from Churchill Downs attracted $158,000 in bets.

TwinSpires and WynnBET will both face significant challenges in Indiana’s competitive market.

The first spring of sports betting in Indiana

Indiana is navigating unfamiliar territory concerning its handle.

Betting on sports began in the Hoosier State in September 2019.

The market was set to have its debut in the spring and summer last year, but the pandemic completely disrupted everything.

The COVID impact resulted in a record-low handle of $26 million in April 2020.

This year’s April handle of $236 million is clearly a significant increase from last year’s numbers, which were affected by the pandemic.

From January to April last year, Indiana accumulated approximately $460 million in sports betting wagers.

This may appear to be a large number, until you contrast it with the present.

Throughout the same stretch in 2021, Hoosiers have placed bets on sports amounting to over $1.1 billion.

The significant yearly changes indicate that anything is possible for Indiana’s market in the upcoming months.

Typically, sports betting slows down during spring and summer, but it is expected to be significantly better than the pandemic-induced figures from last year in Indiana.

The future of sports betting in Indiana

The betting handle in Indiana for May should be fairly similar to that of April.

Nonetheless, there are still some significant matters on the horizon worth watching.

Barstool Sportsbook is expected to launch in Indiana any day now, first and foremost.

Initially, the company had hoped to commence business before the end of April.

SBK Sportsbook may finally begin accepting bets in Indiana too.

The inclusion of those two operators will provide Indiana gamblers with an unprecedented range of online betting options.

This month will also see the start of the NBA Playoffs, potentially sparking additional interest in basketball betting.

Add the Indianapolis 500 over Memorial Day weekend to the mix, and gamblers will have a wide variety of options to choose from next month.