Rugby, Aussie Rules Football Among Last Sports Left For Indiana Sportsbooks

As COVID-19 concerns halt sports nationwide, gamblers are left with dwindling options.

Bettors were eagerly anticipating the first March Madness tournament since Indiana legalized sports betting. However, due to its cancellation, gamblers will have to postpone their excitement until next year.

Professional sports could have served as a natural alternative. However, this has become increasingly challenging due to the suspension of the NBA, MLB, NHL, and the PGA Tour.

Even with the reduced number of events, there are still sports available to place bets on.

What are Indiana’s sportsbooks still offering?

MMA fights continue to take place. The forthcoming significant MMA event is UFC 249, scheduled for April 18, where Khabib is set to compete against Tony Ferguson for the lightweight title.

MMA bettors may have to wait a bit, but if the event proceeds as planned, it will at least offer a sense of normalcy for the night. Nonetheless, MMA is essentially the only “usual” sport that hasn’t been put on pause.

As many traditional betting sports are currently unavailable, it presents an excellent opportunity to explore new ones. Despite the cancellation of matches in Europe’s top leagues, soccer enthusiasts still have some alternatives.

Wagering on Australia’s A-League and the Belarus Premier League is still an option. The German DFB-Pokal soccer cup is also continuing with its events.

All three leagues have odds being offered by DraftKings, BetMGM, and PointsBet.

Some may find the particularly physical nature of Australian rules football an intriguing new betting option. The game involves playing with a football, but unlike traditional football, points are scored by kicking the ball through posts rather than reaching an end zone.

All of Indiana’s online sportsbooks, with the exception of BetAmerica, offer odds for Aussie rules football for bettors.

Bettors have another option they can consider – Rugby. The National Rugby League in Australia is still running without any cancellations. Platforms like DraftKings, BetRivers, BetMGM, and PointsBet offer betting on the NRL.

Bettors looking to diversify their betting portfolio can also consider table tennis betting.

Most people are likely unfamiliar with the Table Tennis Cup, however, DraftKings recently provided odds for the event, offering gamblers an additional betting option.

New sports approved by Indiana Gaming Commission

In the future, Indiana will offer a few more betting options.

On March 19, the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) sanctioned several new betting leagues. This introduces more options for Hoosiers to wager on.

Here’s an overview of the sports and leagues approved by the IGC.

• MOTO GP: Motorcycle racing
• Australia’s NBL: National Basketball League
• NBB: The “Novo Baquete Brasil” basketball league in Brazil
• B.League: Japan's Basketball League
• Momentum One Day Cup: South Africa Cricket
• The European Challenge Cup, Premiership Rugby Cup, and Super Rugby have now received approval in Rugby.
• US Open Cup: Elimination-style soccer tournament
• All Events from the International Table Tennis Federation and the European Table Tennis Union: Table Tennis

Despite the introduction of numerous new additions, the majority of these events have been delayed or called off due to COVID-19. Only a few, such as some table tennis events including the Table Tennis Cup, remain.

Despite the legality of betting on all these events, not every sportsbook might offer them. Some sportsbooks may choose to only provide a few of the newly legal options, while others may choose to not offer any at all.

No matter the outcome, the new additions indicate that expansion is still underway.

Once sports resume nationwide, Hoosiers will have a broader selection of betting options than ever before, thanks to new offerings from the IGC.