Indiana Sportsbooks Cap 2021 With $463 Million December

According to Play Indiana, sportsbooks continue to maintain a near-record pace, closing an extraordinary year that produced almost $4 billion in bets.

(LAS VEGAS) – Indiana saw a bustling month in December as its online and retail sportsbooks generated over $25 million in revenue on more than $460 million in betting. This fell slightly short of the record set in November. However, it concluded a revolutionary year for Indiana with almost $4 billion in wagers, as reported by Play Indiana, an organization that monitors the state’s gaming industry.

“Sportsbooks’ performance this fall has been so extraordinary that anything short of a record-breaking month would be unexpected,” remarked Jake Garza, an analyst for Play-indiana.org. “Considering the context, sportsbooks have sustained near-record levels of wagering and revenue, marking an incredible four-month period where wagering increased by 73.8% compared to the previous year.”

In December, sportsbooks in Indiana generated $463.0 million in bets, a 47.9% increase from the $313.1 million in December 2020, as per the official report released on Wednesday. Despite this increase, December’s betting just missed breaking the November record of a $463.7 million handle. The daily betting volume also saw a decrease, falling to $14.9 million per day over December’s 31 days from November’s daily rate of $15.5 million.

In December, sportsbooks made a profit of $26.0 million, a growth of 18.2% from the $22.0 million earned in December 2020, but still significantly lower than the November record of $47.1 million. The earnings for the month resulted in a taxable revenue of $25.8 million, which contributed $2.5 million to state taxes.

In 2021, Indiana sportsbooks had an explosive year, culminating in a busy December.

Online and retail wagers in Indiana reached $3.8 billion, a significant increase of 116.4% from $1.8 billion in 2020. This surge is expected to rank Indiana seventh in betting volume among U.S. jurisdictions where sports betting is legal.
Gross revenue increased by 125.5% to $307.6 million, up from $136.4 million in 2020.
Online wagers alone amounted to $3.4 billion, a 132.0% increase from the $1.5 billion recorded in 2020.
State taxes increased by 120.6% from $13.2 million in 2020 to $29.0 million.

“2021 ought to be commemorated as the year when people wholeheartedly accepted online sports betting, particularly after a chaotic 2020,” stated Eric Ramsey, an analyst for the network of PlayUSA.com which encompasses Play-indiana.org. â€œDespite the remarkable progress during the year, the market still has room for growth. Sportsbooks continue to attract new clientele, and operators are coming up with more inventive offerings. Concurrently, Hoosiers are getting more accustomed to sports betting overall, and are more welcoming to unconventional betting forms such as in-game betting,â€ he added.

In December, online betting accounted for $422.8 million, or 91.3%, of the total wagering. The rest of the betting, amounting to $40.2 million, was carried out at retail sportsbooks in Indiana.

In December, DraftKings led the state’s online market with bets amounting to $148.2 million, a decrease from $166.2 million in November. The sportsbook earned $6.4 million in gross receipts from these bets, which was a drop from $12.6 million in November. FanDuel was next with $120.5 million in online bets, an increase from November’s $109.8 million. However, FanDuel outperformed all operators in terms of gross receipts, generating $7.5 million, down from November’s $15.6 million.

The following individuals were the online leaders:

BetMGM saw an increase in their handle from $46.3 million in September to $49.9 million. However, their win decreased from $4.5 million to $3.6 million.
Caesars experienced an increase in handle from $43.9 million to $48.9 million, but a decrease in win from $3.0 million to $1.6 million.
The handle for Barstool decreased from $17.2 million to $16.6 million, and its win also decreased from $962,701 to $1.1 million.
BetRivers saw an increase in its handle from $13.6 million to $15.2 million, while its win remained steady at $1.0 million, the same as November.
PointsBet experienced a decrease in both handle and win, with the handle going down from $12.4 million to $10.8 million, and the win reducing from $962,701 to $781,348.
WynnBet maintained an even handle of $3.9 million, identical to November’s figure. However, their win decreased from $281,620 to $166,739.
Unibet handled $3.0 million, down from $4.3 million, and won $195,358, a decrease from $325,267.
TwinSpires saw an increase in handle from $1.4 million to $2.5 million, but a decrease in win from $197,330 to $151,164.
Betway reported an increase in handle from $1.5 million to $1.6 million, but their losses also increased from $32,990 to $132,166.
TheScore Bet had a handle of $1.5 million, a decrease from $2.3 million, and a win of $116,906, down from $281,641.
Bally Bet handled $130,952 and won $44,8974.

Once again, Hollywood Lawrenceburg emerged as the leading retail sportsbook in the state, with $13.9 million in wagers, an increase from $12.7 million in November. Following closely was Ameristar East Chicago with a handle of $5.7 million. Indiana Grand ($4.9 million), Harrah's Hoosier Park ($4.7 million), and Horseshoe Hammond ($4.5 million) trailed behind.

Garza stated, “As we look ahead, operators face a significant question: How will Ohio’s legalization impact Indiana’s sportsbooks, particularly those retail sportsbooks near the state border? Indiana, known as the Hoosier State, has successfully grown despite the expansion of sports betting in Illinois and Michigan. It’s expected to continue thriving even amidst additional competition from another neighboring state.”

Revenue from sports betting in Indiana, December 2021

Licensee	Online Brand(s)	Total Handle	Online Handle	Retail Handle	Gross Revenue	Taxes (9.5%)
Ameristar East Chicago	DraftKings \| theScore Bet	$155,380,020	$149,694,595	$5,685,425	$6,812,196	$647,188
Blue Chip	FanDuel	$121,125,071	$120,459,900	$665,171	$7,611,261	$723,070
Harrah’s Hoosier Park	Caesars	$53,675,964	$48,939,219	$4,736,745	$1,878,379	$178,407
Belterra	BetMGM \| Betway	$52,194,290	$51,454,932	$739,358	$3,558,648	$344,090
Hollywood Lawrenceburg	PointsBet \| Barstool	$41,322,377	$27,461,364	$13,861,013	$3,336,037	$316,963
French Lick	BetRivers	$16,325,260	$15,186,476	$1,138,784	$1,077,531	$102,017
Horseshoe Hammond	Unibet	$7,546,882	$3,024,784	$4,522,098	$548,675	$46,692
Rising Star	TwinSpires \| 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 Evansville	Bally 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