Indiana Sees Sports Betting Give State Casinos a Boost in January

Indiana sports bettors placed more than $500 million in sports wagers last month. This is a new record for the state, but could soon be broken. If Super Bowl betting, once the final tallies are in, is as good as predicted, February could set another new record.  

Hoosier State Sports Betting Soars

The Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) released data Friday showing that Indiana casinos and online sports wagering affiliates processed $500.1 million worth of sports bets last month. This is nearly 8% more than the November record of $463.7 million.

January’s sports betting win, the sportsbook revenue from successful bettors, was $35.6 million. $3.4 million of that amount was paid to Indiana in accordance with Indiana’s 9.5% sports wagering taxes, records show. While slow months are coming after the NBA Finals and March Madness, Indiana has a chance to earn around $35 million by the end of the year.

Eric Ramsey, an analyst at PlayIndiana.com, stated that “Indiana continues to punch above its weight class, remaining a model of success and a role model for other states to follow.”

Surprising, football was not the primary target in January. According to IGC data, basketball was the most popular sport in Indiana for January wagers. It accounted for almost 39% of all sports betting. About 25% of wagers were on multi-game or multisport “parlay” betting, closely followed by football at 24%.

Sports Betting Supports Casinos

According to the IGC, Ameristar Casino in East Chicago had a sports betting handle of $168.9 million. This represents 34% of the statewide total. The casino is partnered in the state with DraftKings.

Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City was second, with $127.2 million, or 25%, of the total statewide. This was mainly through its online FanDuel affiliate.

At $13.2 million, the highest number of in-person sports wagers was placed at Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg.

With the new monthly record for sports wagering, Indiana also collected $50.2 million more in wagering tax revenue from January’s bets at tables and slots machines at its 12 commercial casinos.

Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana was the hot spot for action, with $49.4 Million in January table play exceeding the total monthly table play at five Ohio River casinos as well as the French Lick Casino.

The $29.9 million wagered at Hard Rock on baccarat in January beat total table play at Horseshoe Casino Hammond, which was the state’s previous top gaming destination, by $300,000.

Hard Rock was also the leader in state slot machine play. This was the first time it reached the top spot since it opened last May. Its $214.4 million in slot machine payout edged Horseshoe, which earned $211 million.

Hard Rock won $30.1 million after paying winning bettors. Horseshoe took home $28 million, Ameristar $16.3 million and Blue Chip $9.6 million.