What You Should Know About Online Gambling in Indiana
Best IN Betting Sites
When Did Online Gambling Become Legal in Indiana?
It was in 2019 when online sports betting finally became available in this state. The government passed the so-called 1015 Act, and Governor Eric Holcomb signed the bill on May 8th. It took several months for the law to become official, but from September 1st, 2019, everyone can legally bet on sports throughout Indiana. The Governor was even the first to place a bet in a sportsbook. He wagered on local professional sports teams and promised to give all potential winnings to charity.
The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) interfered with the intention of many states to legalize betting online. Indiana has always been a liberal state when it comes to gambling. Once PASPA was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2018, it didn’t take long for the state to legalize sports wagering.
Today, all forms of gambling in Indiana are controlled by the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC). This body regulates the conditions under which providers can offer services, and players place wagers.
Online Sports Betting in Indiana
Here is a list of internet betting platforms that do business in Indiana:
- DraftKings Sportsbook
- FanDuel Sportsbook
- William Hill US
- PointsBet
- BetMGM
- Bet Rivers
- TVG
Where Can You Bet
Here is the most important thing to know – you can only bet in sportsbooks legalized in Indiana within the borders of this state. Geo-location software determines your location when you load the app. It recognizes once you cross the border, and from that moment, you are subject to the other state’s laws. That is why sports betting and online gambling in Indiana is only available by using the operators licensed to work in this state.
Some sportsbooks might require you to come to their premises to register an account and place bets. Others, however, support mobile betting from any location within this state. That means you can use sports betting apps to register an account. The process is usually simple, but be ready to provide a valid ID and other details required for verification. You also need to add funds to your account before you can start playing.
Legal Betting Companies
Although it has only been legal for around a year, sports betting has become an integral part of Indiana online gambling. Millions in this state love sports, and the popularity of bookmakers is reasonable. The state gave its best to offer a reliable legal framework and ensure everyone can enjoy fair conditions and transparency.
From September 2019, sportsbooks have started searching for ways to enter the market. William Hill partnered with Tropicana Evansville to offer its services in Indiana. Land-based facilities often feature large screens and welcome players to watch games live. Some platforms require you to be on the premises to play. Others have an app that allows you to bet anywhere within the state if you have funds in your account.
How Many Sports You Should Bet on?
Nobody can limit you on how many different sports to bet on, or what types of wagers to play. From parlay wagering to betting on a specific event, you are welcome to choose from the available offers. However, there is a trick because the Indiana Gaming Commission regulates which events players can wager on in this state.
The crucial restriction is that you can’t bet on events if athletes participating in it are not at least 18 years old. You can bet on college sports, but youth matches aren’t available. Esports betting is also off-limits in this state. IGC might adjust these regulations soon, so make sure to follow all changes to betting-related laws.
Now, here is a brief overview of sports that are available:
- Soccer – any events sanctioned by FIFA, and popular national and continental competitions are all approved.
- Football – NFL, XFL, NCAA, Canadian Football League, and Arena Football League are all available.
- Hockey – from NHL to Belarus League and international games, you can bet on all major hockey events.
- Basketball – NBA and NCAA regular season and playoffs, European and International basketball matches, etc.
- Auto Racing – NASCAR, Moto GP, Formula One, and even Indy Car are all legal to play.
Other legal sports include Aussie Rules Football, baseball, bowling, boxing, cricket, cycling, darts, golf, lacrosse, MMA, rowing, rugby, sailing, skiing and snowboard, softball, tennis, table tennis, and track and field.
Online Horse Betting in Indiana
You have two options available for horse betting – visiting race tracks and heading to an OTB (off-track betting) venue. Horse racing has been around in Indiana for over two centuries. If horse wagering is your cup of tea, you can watch live races or sit in a comfy bar with simulcast race footage.
Racetracks
Racetracks are arguably the best way to maximize excitement in horse betting. You can watch live races, but also enjoy simulcast footages in these facilities.
Feel free to visit these Indiana racebooks:
- Indiana Grand Racecourse – the main event is the Indiana Derby. However, you can enjoy watching numerous live races or visiting casinos and poker rooms on the premises. You will find this racecourse in Shelbyville.
- Hoosier Park Racecourse – situated in Anderson, this course offers a packed schedule of horse races. You can also enjoy simulcast events and a casino on the premises.
Off-track Betting
OTB facilities focus on ensuring you are comfortable while watching horse races. Beverages, dining, and other entertainment options are common in these facilities.
Winners Circle OTB is available in Clarksville, Indianapolis, and New Haven. You can also enjoy OTB at the racecourses mentioned above.
Legal Best Indiana Casino Sites
If you are looking for real money gambling sites, you won’t find any facilities registered in Indiana offering casino games. That is because the legislators haven’t legalized internet casino platforms. That means it is technically illegal to play in internet casinos in this state.
Although nobody talks about it, everyone knows there are players who try their luck on offshore betting websites. It doesn’t seem that the state has prosecuted players for casino wagering from the comfort of their home. However, the authorities will act if they notice someone from Indiana operating this type of website. That is why players focus on platforms located overseas, or at least beyond the state borders.
Social Casino Site Options
Social casinos are an alternative to real money gambling in Indiana. These platforms are free to join and play. You can have a lot of fun outsmarting other players and boosting virtual funds. The operators make sure to spice everything up with rewards for the best participants.
You can participate in a tournament and beat other players in specific games. Alternatively, you can have missions to complete and get rewarded with coins. If you are lucky and skillful enough, you might become eligible for actual jackpots and cash prizes.
Casino Games
What is your favorite casino game? The vast selection ensures plenty of options to choose from, and here are the main categories:
- Slots – spinning the reels is simple and fun. It can also offer huge jackpots, especially if you play progressive slots. Slot machines feature various layouts and themes from fantasy to mythology and history.
- Roulette – this game involves guessing the wheel pocket where the ball will land. Roulette allows players to pick the pocket number, color, and other specifics to make things more interesting.
- Blackjack – arguably the most popular card game where you play against the dealer. Your task is to get card value as close to 21 as possible without exceeding that number.
Other popular casino games include baccarat, video poker, craps, scratch cards, keno, etc.
Online Poker Sites
Here is a list of poker sites you can access from Indiana:
- Global Poker
- Intertops Poker
Poker regulations are similar to the ones for internet casinos. That means you won’t find legal online poker sites in Indiana. Some efforts were noticed in the past, and even the Multi-State Internet Gambling Association was established. However, the Department of Justice recently issued an opinion that internet platforms offering interstate gaming don’t comply with federal laws. Until that changes, it is hard to expect that Indiana will offer legal poker platforms.
However, many operators based elsewhere welcome players from this state. You can enjoy sites locates overseas and play poker any time you feel like it.
For the best wagering experience it is important to learn about other sports:
- NFL Online Sports Betting
- Daily Fantasy Sports
- Lottery bonus codes
- Kentucky Derby
- NHL Sports Betting
- Bet on NBA
Indiana Lottery
Online gambling sites sound tempting, but the lottery is also a game with a long tradition. When it comes to Indiana in particular, you can trace its roots to the beginning of the 19th century. Young and elderly adults, males and females, and all other populations groups enjoy playing the lottery.
The state allows multijurisdictional lotteries available throughout the United States. Those include Mega Millions and US Powerball, which are known as lotteries whose jackpots increase to life-changing sums. The largest-ever jackpot won in these games was $1.5 billion! Unfortunately, the winner wasn’t from Indiana, but multiple players from this state won hefty rewards.
Daily Fantasy Sports in Indiana
If you take a look at the legal framework of Indiana gaming authorities, you discover that paid fantasy sports do not constitute gambling. That means you can participate in fantasy sports events offering prizes. Players who like forecasting who the best player on the pitch will be, and assembling the best team will consider this good news.
Fantasy sports are another way for those who enjoy different sports to have fun. All major events, such as basketball, football, and hockey, are covered by major operators. It is up to you to pick a provider and start playing.
Does Indiana Have Land-Based Casinos?
If you are tired of Indiana online casinos, and you would prefer visiting an actual gaming facility, you can find more than a dozen of them in this state.
Live Casinos
Some like online casino games, others prefer visiting land-based properties. Chatting with dealers and other players while holding the cards or chips is a unique experience. Here is the list of facilities offering live gaming action in Indiana:
- Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing and Casino – Anderson
- Ameristar Casino East Chicago – East Chicago
- Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg – Lawrenceburg
- Belterra Casino – Florence
- Four Winds South Bend – South Bend
- Blue Chip Casino – Michigan City
- Horseshoe Casino Southern Indiana – Elizabeth
- Rising Star Casino – Rising Star
- Tropicana Evansville – Evansville
- French Lick Resort Casino – French Lick
- Horseshoe Casino Hammond – Hammond
- Majestic Star I & II – Gary
- Indiana Grand Racing & Casino – Shelbyville
Cardrooms and Poker Rooms
Would you like to try your luck in poker and other live card games? Here are the facilities to visit to experience the thrill:
- Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg – Lawrenceburg
- Majestic Star II – Gary
- Belterra Casino – Florence
- Ameristar Casino East Chicago – East Chicago
- Blue Chip Casino – Michigan City
- Four Winds South Bend – South Bend
- Indiana Grand Racing & Casino – Shelbyville
- Horseshoe Casino Hammond – Hammond
- Tropicana Evansville – Evansville
- Horseshoe Casino Southern Indiana – Elizabeth
Live Sportsbooks
The odds are you will find a live sportsbook within a land-based casino. Here is the list of locations that allow sports betting on their premises:
- Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing and Casino – Anderson
- Ameristar Casino East Chicago – East Chicago
- Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg – Lawrenceburg
- Horseshoe Casino Hammond – Hammond
- Horseshoe Casino Southern Indiana – Elizabeth
- Indiana Grand Racing & Casino – Shelbyville
- Rising Star Casino – Rising Star
- Tropicana Evansville – Evansville
- Blue Chip Casino – Michigan City
- French Lick Resort Casino – French Lick
- Belterra Casino – Florence
How to Deposit and Withdraw from Gambling Sites
Before you can play at real money gambling websites, you need to deposit funds to your account. After registering, visit the cashier. Depending on your operator, the following payment methods might be available:
- Credit and debit cards – Visa and MasterCard are the most frequent options offered.
- Discover – another alternative that might be available to players from the United States.
- Online banking – use your bank account to fund your profile and start playing.
- E–wallets – that usually include Skrill or PayPal.
- PayNearMe – this method allows you to deposit cash in various locations throughout the state.
- Cash deposits – if you visit the sportsbook or casino, you can deposit cash to your account.
Withdrawing Funds from Your Account
It depends on the platform, but the general rule is that fewer options are available for withdrawals. The most common ones include:
- Cash at land-based facilities – if the operator has a facility within Indiana borders, you can visit it to withdraw cash from your account.
- ACH – apart from e-checks, you can also submit a request for a regular check payout.
- PayPal or Skrill – withdrawing funds to your e-wallet might be possible if the platform supports this payment method.
- Internet banking – you might submit a request to have your cash paid to your bank account.
Make sure to identify the options available at your desired operator. Withdrawal processing times vary from seconds for cash payouts to days for checks and other methods.
Minimum Gambling Age
The law requires everyone who wants to register at Indiana online gambling sites to be at least 21 years old. That is a reasonable requirement, and one you will find active in most states throughout the US.
Each player has to go through age verification processes to confirm their identity. As long as you have a valid ID, there shouldn’t be a problem regarding registration. You can sign up via the desired website to gamble online, or you complete the registration process in a land-based gaming facility.
Charitable or House-Based Gambling
Taking a look at the law tells you that charitable gaming is legalized. It is licensed and regulated by the Senate Enrolled Act 134. Providers and participants have to follow certain regulations. The crucial one is that each provider needs to have a valid license. They require annual licenses, and renewing is only possible by meeting the regulations.
Obtaining operator licenses allows providers to organize bingo games, door prize draws and raffles, as well as social gatherings with tip board, punchboards, and pull-tabs. If they pick bingo, the limitation for prizes is $1K per player and $6K per session. On two occasions yearly, a vendor can ask the IGC to boost rewards to $10K.
FAQ
- Does Indiana have any legal betting tracks/shops?
- Yes, this state has multiple legal betting tracks. You can find the nearest location and head there to place a wager on the desired race of sports events.
- Does Indiana allow off-track betting?
- Yes, the state considers off-track wagering legal. As long as you meet the legal requirement, you can relax and wager on your favorite events.
- Are there taxes on winnings?
- Yes, your winnings are subject to state and federal taxes. The state of Indiana imposes a 3.23% tax on personal incomes, and that includes gaming winnings. Federal taxes are 24% for all wins above $5K. Casinos might tax you at the source and withhold a quarter of your winnings to settle the taxes. If you don’t provide SSN, the taxable sum increases to 28%. The specifics depend on a particular casino’s policy.
- Is social gaming allowed in Indiana?
- You could say that social play is in a grey area. No one can stop you from playing with your friends for fun. Even if you pick to play for real money, but keep the invested amounts small, you might go unnoticed. However, if you organize social games to collect a rake or fee, that is illegal. As for platforms that provide casino games for fun on social networks, we failed to find a single lawsuit filed against them in this state.
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