Prospective sportsbook operators in the state of Indiana are preparing for the launch of legal sports betting. Caesars Entertainment is one of these companies and they have announced their intentions to open at least seven sportsbooks next month. Their first will be ready on September 4th at Horseshoe Hammond Casino. The next six will be located at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, Horseshoe Southern Indiana, Indiana Grand Racing and Casino, and three different Winner’s Circle establishments.
In addition to these seven, there are four more sportsbooks that want to open next month. Ameristar Casino East Chicago will actually be the first available to wagers, opening up on September 1st. This is also the first day that sports betting will be legal in the state. While Ameristar Casino East Chicago is located within Indiana, it is extremely close to the border of Illinois and Chicago.
This is significant because the Chicago Bears will play host to the Green Bay Packers on opening day of the NFL on September 5th. While Illinois did legalize sports betting on June 28th, there won’t be any locations available for sports betting by September 5th. Ameristar Casino East Chicago provides a convenient locale to place wagers for local Chicago residents to bet on their favorite teams.
Tropicana Evansville will also launch later in the month and Boyd Gaming will have sportsbooks in two different locations. Even though all 11 Indiana sportsbooks plan on being ready in September, but the Gaming Commission of Indiana has indicated that none have yet satisfied the state’s regulations. Bettors will be able to place wagers on sporting events at physical establishments, but there currently isn’t a timetable for mobile betting.
Mobile betting is permitted in the state, but working out the details of a mobile sports betting is application is quite tricky because there needs to be a way to verify bettors are located within state borders. With Chicago so close to Indiana, mobile sports betting might be another way of offering easy access to sports betting. Chicagoans can take just a 30 minute trip and they’ll be in Whiting, Indiana, making them eligible to place a bet.
While mobile sports betting is not yet available anywhere, it will inevitably appear later this year or early 2020. Mobile sports betting often accounts for ⅔ or more wagers placed in states that allow it like New Jersey. Gaming companies still have a lot of work to do in preparation for September, but they will surely finish in time for football season. Online is just a few steps away.
