Indiana Sports Betting Declines in April

The Indiana sports betting numbers are in for the month of April, and it was not a good showing by the industry.

A dip in the total handle was expected, but the numbers from the Indiana Gaming Commission were disappointing.

The total sports betting handle for the month was just $236.4 million, a drop of 25% from the month of March. Indiana sportsbooks benefited from the entire NCAA Tournament being played in the state, but the numbers are still down from a record-setting month in January.

The adjusted gross revenue for sportsbooks in Indiana was $20.1 million, and that amounts to a hold of 8.5%. Indiana collected just $1.9 million in tax revenue for the month of April, and that is also a significant decline from the month of March.

Indiana was emerging as one of the five biggest sports betting markets in the United States, entering 2021, but it has seen other states fly past it. The next big month for Indiana sports betting likely won’t occur until September, when the 2021 NFL season starts.

Both in-person and online sports betting continues to see new operators enter the market, and that trend will continue in the coming months. Indiana has still gone over the $1 billion mark in total handle in 2021, despite a recent drop.

Basketball Remains Biggest Market

The Hoosier State loves its basketball teams, and that has been reflected in the sports betting industry as well. Even though there were only a handful of college basketball games played in April, this was still the sport that drove the industry.

Basketball brought in $76.1 million in wagers during the month of April, with parlay betting coming in next with $60.4 million. Most of the parlays were likely made up of basketball games, and other sports just have not been able to keep up.

The “other” sports category was next on the list with $50.5 million, and baseball followed that up with $44.5 million. Basketball should continue to lead the way throughout the NBA Playoffs.

DraftKings, FanDuel Leading the Way

One consistent trend in the Indiana sports betting industry is that DraftKings and FanDuel continue to be the leading operators. Even as new operators continue to enter the industry, these two leaders are holding steady in the top spot.

DraftKings and theScore Bet both partner with Ameristar East Chicago, and that casino had the highest total handle for the month. The online handle for those two sportsbooks was $82.4 million, with a majority of that action coming through DraftKings.

FanDuel has entered the Indiana sports betting market through a partnership with Blue Chip Casino, and that is the second-largest operator in the state. Of the $67.6 million wagered at FanDuel, $67.1 million of that was bet online.

Nearly 90 percent of the total sports betting handle in Indiana was done online and mobile betting and this is another trend that has continued since a launch in 2019.

For more sports news and legal sports betting in Indiana, check out more stories on our blog.

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