Indiana Sports Betting Mobile
Deal would allow Indiana sports betting by mobile devices By TOM DAVIES April 22, 2019 GMT INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Sports betting will be allowed by using mobile devices in Indiana under an expected agreement in the state Legislature on a wide-ranging gambling bill that would also allow construction of new casinos in Terre Haute and Gary. On October 3, 2019, BetRivers and DraftKings went live, giving bettors their first two Indiana mobile sports betting apps. On October 22, 2019, FanDuel became the third active Indiana online sportsbook, and many more have followed in the months since. Indiana Mobile and Online Sportsbooks Best Available Indiana Online Sportsbook Bonuses.
Currently, Indiana has nine online sportsbooks. There are also a few others like William Hill and BetIndiana, which are in the pipeline but haven’t launched yet in the state.
FanDuel, DraftKings, BetRivers, BetAmerica, BetMGM, PointsBet, Caesars, Unibet and theScore Bet are the companies currently taking wagers online.
We will cover the pros and cons of each mobile app, the bonuses and promotions each one offers, and other information that will be helpful when choosing which app you want to use. All of them offer quality products, but there are definite advantages to each depending on what type of gambler you are.
Mobile sites available in Indiana
FanDuel
FanDuel started in Indiana on Oct. 22, 2019. FanDuel is available on both Android and Apple devices. The FanDuel online sportsbook is currently the leader in online betting.
The easy-to-use platform and creative marketing strategy have pushed it past DraftKings in sportsbook revenue. FanDuel doesn’t have quite as many betting options as DraftKings, but its live betting experience is much better.
FanDuel is partnered with Belterra Casino and Blue Chip Casino.
DraftKings
DraftKings was the first to have an active mobile app, with a start date of Oct. 3, 2019. Already having an app available in other states with legalized sports betting helped it be the first to the table.
DraftKings has partnered with AmeriStar East Chicago. If you’re looking for a lot of events and sports, DraftKings has the most to offer. The DraftKings research areas let you really dive deep into any bet you might make.
BetRivers
BetRivers and DraftKings became the first two mobile apps available, with both opening on Oct. 3, 2019, in Indiana. BetRivers cut its teeth in Pennsylvania and New Jersey before coming to Indiana.
BetRivers has partnered with French Lick Casino.
BetRivers does have an app, but on some platforms, you have to use a regular website to place your bets. While it is not a household name like DraftKings or FanDuel, it is still a quality mobile site. It isn’t quite as user-friendly, but you can figure it out without a lot of problems.
Unibet
Unibet may be the new kid on the block in Indiana, but it brings along plenty of sports betting experience. The betting site went live throughout the state on July 30, 2020.
The sportsbook previously cut its teeth in New Jersey and Pennsylvania before entering Indiana’s market. The company is based in Europe, and right now, it only has an Android app available for mobile devices.
BetAmerica
BetAmerica, Indiana’s fourth online sportsbook, launched throughout the state on Dec. 30, 2019. The sportsbook’s land-based partner in Indiana is Rising Star Casino.
Churchill Downs owns and operates BetAmerica’s website and app. The brand was originally tied to horse race betting, but expanded to include a full sportsbook later on.
BetMGM
Casino giant MGM Resorts launched BetMGM in Indiana on Feb. 25, 2020. The sportsbook was originally named PlayMGM, and is tethered to Belterra Casino in Indiana.
The website and app feature a smooth look that’s easy for customers to navigate.
PointsBet
PointsBet became the sixth online Indiana sportsbook to take bets after its launch. The Australian product opened its digital doors on March 5, 2020.
The standout feature from the sportsbook is a unique twist on traditional spread betting. Points Betting rewards or penalizes bettors based on their margin of victory compared to the spread.
PointsBet’s casino partner in Indiana is Hollywood Lawrenceburg.
Caesars
Caesars sportsbook is one of the newcomers in the Hoosier State. Indiana’s seventh online sportsbook launched throughout the state on May 19, 2020.
Bettors can use the sportsbook’s website or Android app to place their wagers. The iOS app for Caesars isn’t available yet in Indiana.
Horseshoe Hammond is the sportsbook’s land-based casino partner in the state.
theScore Bet
theScore Bet basically acts as the sports betting arm of Score Media.
The sportsbook uses the company’s regular sports media app, theScore, to help provide gamblers with unique betting options.
William Hill
William Hill became Indiana’s 10th online sportsbook when it launched on Oct. 28, 2020.
The company is based in England but also has a huge presence throughout the US. As one of the bigger operators in the country, William Hill originally opened for business in states like New Jersey before making its way to Indiana.
Indiana Mobile Sites Review
Here are the mobile sites available in Indiana covered in greater detail:
FanDuel
Bonuses and Promotions
FanDuel is offering a risk-free bet as its welcome bonus. The big plus to the risk-free bet with it compared to DraftKings is the higher amount. You get the risk-free bet up to $500 instead of $200. FanDuel is not currently offering a deposit match like DraftKings.
Some of the other promotions that are attractive are its college hoops insurance, NFL close-loss insurance and parlay insurance. Because Indiana residents have a deep tie to college basketball, this one seems perfect for Indiana bettors.
If you bet on a ranked team and they score 75 and still lose, you will get $50 back. The NFL close-loss insurance features a matchup of the week. If the team you bet on loses by six points or less, you can be refunded up to $50.
Parlay insurance works like the DraftKings insurance. If you hit all but one leg of your parlay, you will be refunded up to $25. Keep in mind there will be a lengthy playthrough before you can withdraw the money.
Pros
- Marketing: FanDuel is by far the most creative when it comes to promotions. Odds boosts started on FanDuel and has now taken the industry by storm, as everyone is doing it. Expect it to use a lot of local Indiana teams in promotions to increase action. With college basketball ramping up, expect to see a lot of promos with Butler, Indiana and Purdue.
- User-Friendly: Just like DraftKings, FanDuel’s time in the industry has given it one of the best apps around. The FanDuel live betting module is really good.
- Research: The experts on FanDuel will break down multiple games and help you make your decisions for the night.
Cons
- Lines: When you start line shopping, you will notice that FanDuel lags behind a lot of the others in the industry when it comes to lines.
- Rewards: As of now, it doesn’t currently have a rewards system for its sports bettors like it does for daily fantasy players.
DraftKings
Bonus and Promotions
DraftKings Indiana has some of the best offers in the industry. Its welcome bonus for Indiana bettors is not only one of the best in the state but in all of sports betting bonuses.
No code is needed, and you get not only the match but a risk-free bet as well.
- Risk-free first bet up to $200
- Match Deposit up to $500
We have explained risk-free bets before, but it is basically insurance on your first bet. You can bet up to $200, and if you lose, you will get that amount back in site credit.
There is a playthrough on the credit that you will need to hit before you can withdraw the money.
Some of the promotion highlights are parlay insurance, odds boosts, and betting pools. The parlay insurance will refund you up to $25 if your parlay hits all but one leg of your bet.
Odds boosts have become the go-to promotion on almost all of the mobile sites. DraftKings will take a bet and increase the odds to a much better number to encourage action.
Look for this to occur a lot before the Super Bowl. Let’s say the odds of Raheem Mostert scoring the first TD are +300; they will have a one-time boost letting you get Mostert at +500/600 to score the first TD.
The betting pools are like tournaments for bettors. DraftKings will reward you for hitting a certain number of parlays or streaks of regular bets and pay a reward of some sort.
Pros
- Name Recognition: Because DraftKings is a huge name in daily fantasy, Indiana residents will feel comfortable using its app. Because of its success in the industry, it has been able to add staff and infrastructure that leads to a reliable app. You don’t have to worry about glitches or outages with DraftKings. The customer service at DraftKings is also top of the line.
- User-Friendly: Since it has perfected the app in the daily fantasy sector, the sports betting app follows the same setup. It is extremely user-friendly and has the best website, in our opinion. The betting options are probably the most extensive in the industry.
- Research: If you like to do your homework before you put money down on a game, DraftKings has plenty of options. Its pros go over trends and stats and explain line movement, giving you all the information you want before making your final decision.
- Lines: Line shopping is important to bettors. For those who like to line shop, you won’t find many better lines than Draftkings. Almost all of its bets have juice that is comparable to all other sportsbooks. Right when it opened, DraftKings took a lot of heat for its lines, but that has since been corrected.
Cons
- Rewards Systems: DraftKings has a reward system for its daily fantasy players but not sports bettors.
- Only One Bonus: If you have already played in another state with legalized sports betting and received a welcome bonus from DraftKings, you cannot get another one.
BetRivers
Bonus and Promotions
BetRivers definitely lags behind when it comes to promotions. It has a hard time keeping up with DraftKings and FanDuel when it comes to bonuses.
Currently, the welcome bonus is a match of up to $250. There is no code needed. One of the big advantages is its low playthrough on bonuses compared to the big boys.
Pros
- Rewards: The iRush Rewards Program is a huge advantage for BetRivers users. Neither of the competitors are offering anything, and the iRush program is really nice for regular bettors.
- Live Betting: BetRivers really invested in live betting. I put the BetRivers in-play betting up against FanDuel and DraftKings. It has the most options, and you can follow them real-time on the website or app.
Cons
- Promotions: You have to be at level 7 of the rewards program to see anything when it comes to promotions or free contests. It does offer odds boosts, but that is really it when it comes to promotions.
- Betting Lines: DraftKings is definitely the best when it comes to lines. BetRivers has a lot of juice when compared to the other sites.
Summary
While you won’t go wrong with any of the selections, our preference is DraftKings. For the long-term bettor, its lines are the best. If you want to bet on sports in the long term, getting good lines is key.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Sports betting will be allowed by using mobile devices in Indiana under an expected agreement in the state Legislature on a wide-ranging gambling bill that would also allow construction of new casinos in Terre Haute and Gary.
The Indiana House previously voted to allow sports betting only at casino sites. But bill sponsor Sen. Mark Messmer said Monday that not allowing sports wagering through smartphones would be an unreasonable limit and that House negotiators had agreed to the change.
“If you have sports betting without a mobile app platform, you don’t really have a very usable tool,” said Messmer, a Republican from Jasper.
Opponents of allowing sports bets by mobile devices call it a significant expansion of gambling that could lead to traditional casino games moving online. The proposed compromise would let the Indiana Gaming Commission issue regulations and start approving casinos for sports wagering beginning July 1.
“They were optimistic they could have rules ready in time for the NFL season,” Messmer said. “That’s really up to the commission on fast they roll them out and get them into effect.”
The compromise is expected to be voted on as early as Tuesday or Wednesday by the House and Senate.
The proposal would also allow the new owner of the Gary casinos to move from casino boats along Lake Michigan to an on-land site along heavily traveled Interstate 80-94 in the city. The compromise legislation also sets up a competitive process to select an operator for a new Terre Haute casino.
Another provision would move up the state’s 2021 date for permitting table games with live dealers at the two central Indiana horse track casinos in Anderson and Shelbyville. Messmer said negotiators were still deciding whether to allow the change to begin Jan. 1 or July 1 of 2020.
The proposal would require Spectacle Entertainment, which is buying the two Majestic Star Casino boats in Gary, to spend at least $150 million on a new Gary casino and pay a $20 million state fee for the move. The company has proposed a $300 million project building a new casino and 200-room hotel for Gary.
Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson said the compromise would boost the city’s economy by moving the casino from a heavily industrial area that could be redeveloped into a cargo hub. She said having a Lake Michigan port, along with nearby railroads and highways, will attract shipping business now going through Chicago.
“Our major objective is to move that casino out of that industrial corridor and onto something that would create more halo investment and create more opportunity for revenue,” she said.
Spectacle has sought to transfer a Gary casino license to Terre Haute, but the compromise would allow any Indiana casino operator to submit a bid to the state gaming commission for the license, Messmer said. Under the proposal, voters in Vigo County would first have to approve a referendum next year allowing the casino in Terre Haute, and the operator would have to spend a minimum of $100 million on the new facility.
Indiana Betting Sites
Spectacle is led by former executives of Centaur Gaming, which sold its horse track casinos in Anderson and Shelbyville last year to Las Vegas-based Caesars Entertainment Corp. The deal was worth $1.7 billion.
The Indianapolis Star recently reported that Spectacle’s CEO treated Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb to private jet flights last year as they traveled together for meetings in Colorado and Arizona. The newspaper also found that one of the company’s investors helped arrange a Vigo County government contract for GOP House Speaker Brian Bosma’s Indianapolis law firm.
The proposal sets a 9.5% tax on sports wagering, but no windfall is expected for the state. A legislative analysis estimates the proposal will bring in about $12 million a year. Provisions on sports betting would prohibit wagering by anyone younger than 21 and not allow any bets on high school or youth sporting events.
Sports Gambling Indiana
Republican Rep. Ben Smaltz of Auburn, chairman of the House Public Policy Committee, had the panel adopt language in March banning mobile sports betting. On Monday, he said he anticipated it would likely be allowed in the final vote.
Indiana Sports Betting Apps
Smaltz said he believed smartphone wagering would easily allow illegal wagering by minors. He said Indiana shouldn’t adopt such a law just because other states were doing so after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way last year.
Indiana Sports Betting News
“I think it is ill considered and way too fast,” he said.