Basketball Is Dominating Indiana Sports Betting in 2021

Indiana reached $246 million in sports betting wagers in June, largely driven by basketball betting.

The handle for that number was slightly lower than May’s $254 million.

June marked the first full month of operation for Barstool Sportsbook and Betway. The introduction of these two betting apps significantly contributed to Indiana sportsbooks surpassing a lifetime revenue of $300 million.

Sports betting handle in Indiana for June 2021

The handle of $246 million in June generated over $2.4 million in taxes for Indiana.

Here is a brief summary of the statistics for June:

Licensee	Online Brand(s)	Total Handle	Online Handle	Retail Handle	Revenue	State Tax
Ameristar East Chicago	DraftKings | theScore Bet	$83,906,560	$79,422,986	$4,483,574	$5,919,140	$562,318
Blue Chip	FanDuel	$65,122,487	$64,222,392	$900,095	$9,204,100	$874,389
Hollywood Lawrenceburg	PointsBet | Barstool	$34,083,533	$25,049,518	$9,034,015	$1,751,544	$166,397
Belterra	BetMGM | Betway	$29,782,549	$29,277,103	$505,446	$3,256,307	$309,349
Tropicana Evansville	William Hill	$11,868,813	$11,117,901	$750,912	$3,105,585	$295,031
French Lick	BetRivers	$7,264,510	$6,927,250	$337,260	$643,018	$61,087
Horseshoe Hammond	Caesars | Unibet	$4,205,100	$1,036,916	$3,168,183	$600,510	$57,048
Indiana Grand		$3,832,624	$0	$3,832,624	$453,951	$43,125
Harrah’s Hoosier Park		$3,295,726	$0	$3,295,726	$250,795	$23,826
Caesars Southern Indiana		$1,527,817	$0	$1,527,817	$114,818	$10,908
Rising Star	TwinSpires | WynnBet	$1,431,951	$1,355,597	$76,354	$179,615	$17,063
Grand Total		$246,321,671	$218,409,664	$27,912,006	$25,479,383	$2,420,541

Indiana sportsbooks profiting millions

In just June alone, Indiana’s sportsbooks amassed over $25 million in adjusted gross revenue. This significant amount pushed the entire industry past the $300 million threshold.

When it comes to sports betting, Ameristar East Chicago has been the best-performing casino in the Hoosier State.

Since 2019, Ameristar and its two online sportsbook partners have received more than $1.6 billion in bets, generating over $114 million in revenue for the three entities.

The casino collaborates with DraftKings Indiana and theScore Bet IN, however, most of the group’s success is attributed to the former.

In June, DraftKings amassed a handle of $75 million, a figure significantly larger than theScore Bet’s $3.8 million performance.

Things are not nearly as successful at the lower end of the sports betting spectrum.

Since 2019, Rising Star Casino and its two online partners have received wagers worth only $6.2 million. The total sports betting revenue of Rising Star throughout its lifetime is $500,000.

In a single month, some of the newest sportsbooks in the state have surpassed the lifetime numbers of Rising Star.

First complete month for Barstool Sportsbook

The first full month of operation for Barstool Sportsbook in Indiana proved to be successful.

Throughout June, the sportsbook received more than $10.4 million in wagers, ranking it as the state’s sixth most popular sportsbook.

That handle only converted to $33,000 in gross receipts for Penn National’s sports betting brand.

Barstool only started accepting bets in Indiana from May 18, hence, it was only operational for half the month when the latest figures were released.

In the span of two weeks, the sportsbook accumulated a handle of $6.3 million. Extrapolating this over the whole month meant that the company was potentially looking at over $12.6 million in wagers for May.

Since June was the sportsbook’s first full month of operation, we can now put that projection into context.

Barstool did not quite meet the initial projection with a June handle of $10.4 million.

In general, Barstool significantly outdid Betway, which also had its inaugural full month of operation in June. The sportsbook’s handle of $55,000 was the least in the entire state.

Betting on NBA Playoffs benefits Indiana.

Basketball remained the most popular sport for betting in June once more.

Last month, Hoosiers bet over $77 million on basketball, surpassing the other leading sports with ease.

• Basketball: $77 million
• Baseball: $60.4 million
• Parlay: $58.8 million
• Football: $1.5 million
• Other: $52 million

In 2021, basketball has been the predominant focus of Indiana’s betting scene.

Basketball wasn’t the leading sport for betting the last time in December 2020, but it was unsurprising that football, in the middle of the NFL season, claimed the top spot.

Wagering on college basketball significantly contributed through the conclusion of March Madness, and currently, the NBA is in control.

The NBA Finals, happening throughout July, should provide ample action to maintain consistent basketball betting.

Sportsbooks in Indiana prepare for Olympics

The Tokyo Olympics will start on July 23, the day after the NBA Finals conclude at the latest on July 22.

The option to bet on the Olympics is a fresh addition for gamblers in Indiana. The last time the Olympics were held, legal sports betting was not available in the Hoosier State.

You can place bets on various Olympic events, but some popular sports are excluded. Gymnastics is one of them.

Although millions of fans will be watching Simone Biles and her team compete, betting on the team’s events will not be possible.

This is due to the fact that sports such as gymnastics rely on judges to decide the winner. Given that judging is subjective, sports that use this method are not suitable for legal sportsbooks.

Nonetheless, you can wager on basketball during the Olympic Games.

The roster of USA Basketball is packed with NBA stars such as Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard. Similarly, numerous NBA talents are also found in other teams like France, Spain, and Australia.

This might be sufficient to pique the interest of Indiana gamblers looking to place bets on basketball after the NBA Finals conclude.

Indiana online sportsbooks should offer a wide range of options for gamblers this month as the Olympics will continue until Aug. 8.