Indiana Betting Laws Explained
Is Sports Betting Legal in Indiana?
Yes, sports betting is perfectly legal in the Hoosier State. Indiana bettors can place wagers on their favorite sports teams and athletes at a wide range of locations, including land-based casinos like the French Lick Resort, ‘racinos’ like Harrah’s Hoosier Park, riverboat casinos like the Ameristar Casino in East Chicago, and, of course, at online sportsbooks. Gov. Eric Holcomb ushered in legal sports betting in Indiana by signing bill H 1015 into law in May 2019, around a year after the Supreme Court overturned a federal ban on sports betting.
Retail sportsbooks welcomed sports bettors for the first time in September 2019, with Gov. Holcomb himself kicking things off by placing bets on the Indiana Pacers, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Indiana Fever at the new Caesars Sportsbook at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino. Online and mobile sports betting in Indiana arrived later that same year. While the DraftKings Sportsbook and the BetRivers Sportsbook were among the first operators to launch mobile betting apps in Indiana, the selection available to bettors has since widened to include the likes of the Unibet, WynnBET, TwinSpires, and BetMGM Sportsbooks.
Mobile Betting Apps Explained
The Benefits of Downloading a Betting App
The best online sportsbook operators in Indiana offer mobile-optimized sports betting sites, but you’ll also have the option to download custom-designed sports betting apps. While packing in all the same features and functionality of mobile-optimized and desktop-based sites, Indiana online betting apps are tailor-made to run on Android and iOS. Betting apps in Indiana also store data locally on mobile devices, which means you can enjoy faster, smoother functionality – something that can prove crucial when you’re making split-second decisions on in-play bets.
Indiana betting apps also provide push notifications that deliver the latest bonus offers and promo codes directly to your home screen, meaning you need never miss a free bet bonus or odds boost ever again.
Mobile Apps v Optimised Sites
Mobile Betting Apps Compared to Mobile Optimised Sites
Here are the pros and cons to consider when weighing up whether you’d like to use mobile websites or Indiana sports betting apps.
Mobile Apps
Pros
- Locally stored data offers fast loading
- Push notifications for promos
- Better security
- Designed for mobile
Cons
- Uses device storage space
- Not available for all platforms
Mobile Websites
Pros
- Available on practically all devices
- Optimized for mobile
- Doesn’t use device storage space
Cons
- No push notifications
- Not tailored to the device size
- Slower load times
Boost Your Bankroll at an Indiana Betting Site
The best sports betting apps in Indiana allow you to unlock a range of bonuses and promotions, designed to attract new customers and encourage existing bettors to stick around. Here’s a roundup of some of the best bonuses and promos you can claim from Indiana online betting apps:
No Deposit Bonus
As the name suggests, no deposit bonuses at mobile sportsbook apps don’t require any initial outlay from you, you get them just for signing up. These bets usually take the shape of free bets and tend to come with steep wagering requirements. You might see no deposit bonuses to mark special events like the Super Bowl and March Madness.
First Deposit Bonus
As you might have guessed, these bonuses reward customers for making their first deposit. An example might be ‘Deposit $30, Get a $30 Free Bet’. Some Indiana sports betting apps may require you to place a qualifying bet to unlock the bonus.
Cashback
Cashback bonuses return a set percentage of losing bets. The percentage which bettors get back will vary, though bookmakers often keep the best cashback offers to roll out as welcome bonuses for new customers. As a sign-up offer, the cashback value can be as much as 100%, with a deal like this essentially making a customer’s first wager a risk-free bet.
Odds Boosts
Odds boosts offers are common in the world of online sports betting and can be a great way to squeeze even more value from your bankroll. These kinds of promos, which give you better than average returns on certain markets, may pop up as a welcome bonus, but they’re more commonly pitched as ongoing offers. Some operators, such as the FanDuel sportsbook, offer daily odds boosts on a range of sports.
Parlay Bonuses
Parlay bonuses are a top promo for bettors who like to stack their selections on the same bet slip. These offers usually work by providing a percentage boost to winnings, with the potential returns increasing in proportion to the number of legs in the parlay. Parlay bonuses can also act as insurance, returning a bettor’s stake if one selection loses.
Indiana Betting Opportunities
Which Sports Can I Bet On?
Betting apps for Indiana take wagers on a huge variety of markets. Here are just some of the sports wagering opportunities available:
- Aussie rules football
- Auto racing (IndyCar, NASCAR, Constructors, Formula One)
- Baseball (MLB, NCAA, Triple-A)
- Basketball (NBA, NCAA, IBF, WNBA, Euro)
- Boxing (ABCCS, IBF, WBA, WBO, WBC)
- Cricket (ICC, World Cup)
- Cycling (UCI)
- Football (NFL, NCAA, AFL, CFKL, XFL)
- Golf (PGA, Masters, etc.)
- Hockey (NHL, NCAA, KHL, World Championships)
- Lacrosse (NCAA)
- MMA (UFC, One Championship)
- Olympics (Summer, Winter, Paralympics)
- Rugby (World Cup, World Rugby, Four Nations, Six Nations, NRL)
- Sailing (International Sailing Federation, America’s Cup)
- Soccer (NCAA, UEFA, FIFA, Professional Leagues)
- Softball (NCAA)
- Tennis (WTA, ITF, ATP, NCAA, USTA)
- Track and Field (IAAF, NCAA)
What are the Types of Bets I Can Place at a Indiana Sportsbook?
Whether you want to wager on a player, team, or sporting event, there are plenty of ways to back your favorites. Here are some of the sports bets you can place using Indiana betting apps:
- Totals (Over/Under)
- Points betting (Points Spread)
- Moneyline
- Futures
- Propositions (Prop Bets)
- Parlays (Teasers/Pleasers/Round Robins)
Wagering on the Live Market
It’s one thing to predict outcomes relating to an event taking place in the future, but quite another to make in-play wagers on the action as it unfolds second by second. Of the many different betting options available to Indiana sports fans, in-play betting must surely be one of the most exciting ways to get stuck into the action.
Live betting options are available on all the best mobile betting apps in Indiana, and for many of the most popular sports, including the NFL, MLB, and NBA. Better still is the fact that the betting options change all the time, so there’s always something new to wager on. Will Rodrigo Blankenship kick the next field goal? Will Domantas Sabonis shoot a three this quarter? The possible predictions are almost endless. Indiana’s fast-loading betting apps help bettors make decisions on the fly with a mix of live streams, animated graphics, expert tips, and real-time stats.
Claim Your Winnings Early
If you decide to enjoy the live betting markets on Indiana sportsbook apps, you’ll likely encounter the cash-out option. This handy feature offers you the chance to settle your bets early, so you can probably see how it perfectly complements in-play betting. Your winnings might be less than anticipated if you take a cash-out offer, but this can be a great way to protect yourself from any unfortunate twists and turns.
Let’s imagine you’re rooting for the Colts in their latest NFL conference game against the Titans. The Colts are looking good, but the Titans seem to be getting their act together. There’s still over a quarter left to play, so there’s plenty of time for a last-minute upset. Taking a cash-out offer at this point will allow you to secure a win, no matter what the Titans come up with. Some Indiana online betting apps also offer partial cashouts, so you can lock in a cash return on your wager while still leaving a little money to run until the game’s natural conclusion, basically getting the best of both worlds!
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s not unusual for mobile sports betting apps to come with minimum system requirements for Android and iOS. For example, a sportsbook app may require iOS 10.3 or above, or Android 5.0 or above. It’s always good to check, as the latest requirements for, say, the Caesars sportsbook app may differ from those for the PointsBet sportsbook app.
To prevent money laundering and underage online gambling, operators must confirm that you are who you say you are and that you’re of legal betting age – 21 in Indiana. The exact process will vary between Indiana sports betting apps, but you may be required to upload copies of a government-issued ID.
As well as sports wagering, Indiana offers a state lottery, charitable bingo, daily fantasy sports, and horse racing. Casino gambling is allowed at brick-and-mortar casinos like Rising Star Casino Resort and the state also offers legal in-person gambling at riverboat casinos such as the Belterra Casino Resort & Spa. Lawmakers in Indiana have not yet given the green light to esports betting or online casino gambling.
The Majestic Star Casino, two former riverboat casinos on Lake Michigan, permanently closed in April 2021, and the new Hard Rock Casino opened to replace it just weeks later. In June 2021, the property’s first full month of trading, it raked in revenues of more than double that of the Majestic Star in June 2020. Other Indiana casinos to show healthy gains in the same month included the Horseshoe Hammond and the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City.
Following the repeal of PASPA in May 2018, responsibility for regulating sports betting moved to a state level. The new rules mean that each state issues sports betting licenses, determines tax rates for gaming revenues, and decides whether to legalize betting in the first place. The organization heading things up in the State of Indiana is the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC).
Indiana sportsbooks accept multiple payment methods. Deposit options usually include credit and debit cards, bank transfers, e-wallets like PayPal and Skrill, and prepaid cards. You can also deposit at the land-based casino partner of your preferred sportsbook. Bettors with the Barstool app, for instance, can pay in at the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg. The same applies to William Hill, the Tropicana Evansville, and so on.
