Indiana online sports betting laws

Indiana was one of the first states to take advantage when the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was declared unconstitutional in 2018. PASPA had prohibited the legalization of sports wagering in all states except Nevada (and limited sports wagering products in a handful of other states) where it was already legal at the time of PASPA’s passage.

In April 2019, within a year of PASPA’s repeal, Indiana’s state legislature passed Act HB 1015. This bill, which was signed into law by the governor in May 2019, legalized sports betting, in-person and online, in addition to the casino gambling that was already allowed in the state. The legislation also placed the regulation of sports betting under the auspices of the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC).

The new law allowed for licensed operators to start offering live sports wagers on September 1, 2019 – and almost immediately, some of the biggest names in the world of sports betting moved into the state to offer both in-person and online sports wagering for the first time in Indiana. As of May, 2021, there are now 12 live online operators and sports bets can now be taken at more than a dozen physical locations across the state.

In the first 12 months after the law was relaxed, more than $1 billion was wagered on sports in Indiana.

You can sign up for Indiana sports betting wherever you are in the state.

In addition to in-person sports wagering at authorized locations, you can also sign up remotely through a sportsbook’s website or dedicated app. You’ll need to be aged 21 or over and to be located within the borders of Indiana.

Most sportsbooks and mobile devices have geolocation technology that will authorize you when you sign up.

Many of the biggest names in the online sports betting world took immediate advantage of the change of law in Indiana in 2019.

The first retail sportsbooks, including the Indiana Grand, Ameristar East Chicago, and Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg, opened for business on September 1, 2019. Indiana online sports betting was not far behind, with Rush Street Interactive’s BetRivers and DraftKings launching the first online sports wagering platforms on October 3, 2019. Other online providers, including BetMGM, PointsBet, and TwinSpires (formerly BetAmerica), were approved to launch soon after.

By mid-2021, there were a total of 12 licensed and active online sportsbooks in Indiana. The latest additions licensees include Barstool Sports, Wynn Sports Interactive, and Betway.

Yes, they are. Anything you win from any form of gambling in Indiana counts as taxable income, including sports wagers. Even if you don’t report your winnings to the IRS, the sportsbook in question will.

The IRS requires that you record all your sports betting winnings each year on form 1040. It’s advisable to keep detailed notes of any winning bets you have.

If you want to enjoy Indiana online betting on sport, you will need to be aged 21 or over. People aged 18 and upwards can play the lotto and take part in games such as bingo and raffles, but not sports betting.

If you’re in a casino or other location where sports betting is allowed, this applies automatically.

But you also need to be within Indiana’s borders if you want to access Indiana betting sites. The licensed apps and websites have geolocation technology that will automatically register that you are in the state.

The requirement to be in the state meant that, before sports betting was legalized in neighboring Illinois, people from Chicago could bet on sports only if they travelled to Indiana to place their wagers.

No one associated with a professional or collegiate sports team or league is allowed to engage in sports betting in Indiana.

It’s OK to bet on college sports (imagine not being able to wager on Notre Dame or Purdue) but any wagering on high school sports or amateur athletic events is specifically forbidden in Indiana.

Although esports have grown enormously in popularity in recent years, pursuant to IC article 4-38, Indiana sports wagering operators may not accept wagers on esports events.

Americans are specifically forbidden from betting on the results of elections, foreign or domestic, so no authorized and licensed sportsbook will offer odds on political events.