Gambling in the USA

Indiana Sportsbooks End Year With $160 Million Month

Published

5 years ago

January 13, 2020

Sportsbooks close 2019 with more than $430 million in bets, giving industry momentum heading into 2020, according to PlayIndiana.com analysts

Indiana retail and online sportsbooks capped their inaugural year in the state by surpassing $160 million in bets in a month for the first time. Indiana’s record handle in December pushed the state to more than $430 million in bets since the first wager was accepted in September, a staggering pace that has set the stage for a momentous 2020, according to analysts from PlayIndiana.

“Indiana’s ascent to one of the largest sports betting markets in the country has been impressive by most any measure,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayIndiana. “The question for 2020 is whether Indiana can sustain its rate of expansion, especially as neighboring states become more likely to legalize sports betting. That has already happened in Michigan, which could take a bite out of the handle at some of northern Indiana’s retail sportsbooks.”

In December, the state’s retail and online sportsbooks generated a combined $161.8 million in bets, up 10% from November’s $147.3 million handle, according to official reporting released Friday. December’s handle produced $12 million in adjusted gross revenue, up 29% from $9.3 million in November. The “win” yielded $1.1 million in tax revenue for the state.

Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2025 (25-26 March)

Indiana sportsbooks have now generated $433.4 million in bets and $42.7 million in revenue since launch, and is easily the fourth-largest sports betting marketing in the country, trailing only Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. To put Indiana’s growth into perspective, it took Pennsylvania, the No. 3 market in the U.S., 10 months to surpass $400 million in lifetime handle. Indiana surpassed $400 million in its fourth month.

A boost could come in January. Football betting has accounted for $178.6 million since launch and $59.1 million in bets in December, and that will likely surge with the NFL Playoffs and college football’s national championship in January. In addition, basketball, which has accounted for $82.2 million since launch and $42.3 million in December, should grow as college basketball enters conference season and the NBA season heats up.

“With the NFL Playoffs at hand and college basketball in full swing, it is possible that Indiana will surpass $1 billion in bets by March, making Indiana one of the quickest legal U.S. jurisdictions to reach that mark,” Gouker said.

The relatively rapid growth of Indiana, which launched online sportsbooks in October, can be attributed to the adoption of online sports betting far earlier than states such as Pennsylvania. In Indiana, $110.6 million of December’s bets were made online representing 69.5% of the state’s total handle, up from 65% of the November handle.

Online sports betting is also growing in the number of sportsbooks. BetAmerica, operating under the Rising Star Casino license, became Indiana’s fourth online sportsbook when it launched in late December.

Still, DraftKings, which operates under the Ameristar Casino license, led the online market once again. In December, DraftKings attracted $66.7 million in bets, up from $64.1 million in November. That generated $5 million in gross receipts, up from $4.3 million. DraftKings was followed by:

FanDuel/Blue Chip Casino ($36 million handle in December, up from $23.7 million; $2.2 million win, up from $1.7 million)
BetRivers/French Lick Resort ($7.9 million handle, down from $8.4 million; $528,200 win, up from $476,284)
BetAmerica/Rising Star Casino ($2,129 handle; -$1,173 win)
Once again, the top retail sportsbooks were those closest to large out-of-state markets. The top retail sportsbook in Indiana continues to be Horseshoe Hammond, near Chicago. The market leader generated $13.4 million in December, up from $13 million in November. Those bets generated $1.1 million in gross receipts, up from $800,208. Horseshoe Hammond was followed by:

Hollywood Lawrenceburg ($8.9 million handle, up from $8.8 million in November; $824,235 win, down from $1.1 million)
Ameristar Casino ($8.3 million handle, up from $8 million in November; $928,211 win, up from $735,103)
Harrah’s Hoosier Park ($5.7 million handle, down from $7 million; $441,112 win, down from $557,764)
Indiana Grand ($4.6 million handle, up from $4.2 million; $208,275 win, up from $171,205)
Blue Chip Casino ($4.2 million handle, down from $4.5 million; $186,802 win, down from $310,955)
Tropicana Evansville ($2 million handle, even with November; $185,176 win, up from $174,841)
Caesars Southern Indiana ($1.6 million handle, up from $1.4 million; $170,884 win, down from $106,081)
French Lick Resort ($1.5 million handle, up from $1.2 million; $13,587 win, down from $45,357)
Belterra Casino ($948,810 handle, up from $920,344; $151,640 win, up from $92,233)
“Indiana’s strong start is unquestionably tied to the state’s relatively early launch of online sports betting,” Gouker said. “Online sports betting should make up an increasing share of the state’s handle, too. That will help steady Indiana’s sports betting industry, even as increasing competition from neighboring states affect retail sportsbooks, which is inevitable.”

For more revenue information on Indiana sportsbooks, visit PlayIndiana.com/revenue.

Gambling in the USA

Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – May 19-25

Published

3 days ago

May 27, 2025

Niji Narayan

gaming-americas-weekly-roundup-–-may-19-25

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! Here, we are going through the weekly highlights of the American gambling industry which include the latest news and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.

Latest News

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa has been named the luckiest casino in the US according to a recent study conducted by Casinos.com. The resort claimed the top spot based on an in-depth analysis of Tripadvisor reviews, measuring the frequency of luck-related keyword mentions. With a 25.49% luck rate, Seminole Hard Rock Tampa topped the list thanks to glowing guest feedback, including frequent mentions of jackpots, hand pays and bonus wins. 50 reviews mentioned the word “jackpot,” and 19 even referenced a “hand pay.” Casinos.com tracked keywords such as lucky, luck, won, winning, success, jackpot, hand pay, winner, bonus, profit to determine which U.S. casinos inspired the most winning moments among visitors.

The Missouri Gaming Commission has announced that it has officially begun accepting applications for sports betting license. The Commission made the announcement following the unanimous approval of a resolution drafted Tuesday that approved the licensing process. The resolution passed after Gov. Mike Kehoe’s office reviewed it. The licensing period opens roughly six months after Missouri voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment legalising sports betting. The measure passed by less than half a percentage point, with a margin of less than 7500 votes.

Underdog Fantasy has relaunched its draft-style daily fantasy sports (DFS) games in New York, nearly two months after it withdrew all of its DFS competitions from the Empire State. The decision to withdraw all DFS contests from New York in March came after a ruling from the New York State Gaming Commission in which the commission determined Underdog was not in line with the state’s current DFS law. An Underdog Fantasy spokesperson confirmed the company is still working under a temporary license. The New York State Gaming Commission agreed to allow the company to offer its draft DFS games with the temporary license. Most DFS companies in New York operate with a temporary license.

New Partnerships

Pollard Banknote Limited has congratulated the West Virginia Lottery on the successful launch of Royal Court Riches, its first eInstant game from the Pollard Digital Games Studio. Royal Court Riches has already demonstrated strong performance in multiple markets—in its first international launch, it achieved that jurisdiction’s highest tickets sold, total sales and gross gaming revenue within its first 30 days of release. Royal Court Riches is the first in a series of games from the Pollard Digital Games Studio slated to launch in West Virginia this year.

SYNOT Games has announced a new partnership with Caliente, one of Mexico’s top gaming platforms. This collaboration marks an exciting expansion for SYNOT Games, as it brings its acclaimed portfolio of gaming content to the Mexican market. It enhances Caliente’s offerings with an extensive array of high-quality slot games such as Respin Joker, Book of Secrets, Realm of Lions and Forest Maiden, designed to captivate players and boost engagement. Caliente with its strong presence in Latin America, is the perfect partner for SYNOT Games’ expansion into the region. The partnership aims to deliver an exceptional gaming experience, combining SYNOT’s visually rich, innovative games with Caliente’s extensive reach and reputation.

The post Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – May 19-25 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Gambling in the USA

Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – May 12-18

Published

1 week ago

May 20, 2025

Niji Narayan

gaming-americas-weekly-roundup-–-may-12-18

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Latest News

Scientific Games was recognised with three prestigious honours in the 23rd Annual American Business Awards. The global lottery company won two Gold ABA awards for its retail technology, SciQ and PlayCentral Powered by SciQ, in the Operations Management Solutions and Emerging Technology categories, respectively. Scientific Games’ recently retired VP, Instant Game Production, Joe Bennett, earned a Silver ABA Award for Achievement in Management—Manufacturing, recognising his career contributions in secure lottery instant game production. This year, more than 3700 nominations from organisations of all sizes and industries were submitted to the ABAs. Winners were scored by more than 300 professionals worldwide during a rigorous judging process evaluating innovation, integrity, effectiveness, creativity and growth.

MGM Resorts has announced that it has reached a new employment agreement with CEO & President Bill Hornbuckle through December 31, 2028. As part of his new employment contract, the Company has also agreed to offer Hornbuckle an advisory agreement at the end of the term to assist with its integrated resort project in Osaka, Japan until its opening. As CEO, Hornbuckle oversees all aspects of MGM Resorts’ strategy, operations and hospitality and gaming development projects. He leads the company’s global development efforts and its digital gaming strategy.

Minimum Deposit Casinos (MDC) has released new insights into the tightening regulatory landscape for sweepstakes-based gaming in the US. Recent moves by lawmakers in New York, Louisiana, and Montana suggest a coordinated push to eliminate or restrict these alternative online gambling models. In New York, Senate Bill 5935, introduced by Sen. Joseph Addabbo, has advanced through the legislative process and targets the operation and supply of sweepstakes-style platforms. The bill specifically addresses platforms that use two forms of digital currency — one of which can be redeemed for real-world prizes — a setup now under scrutiny by state regulators.

New Partnerships

Rush Street Interactive (RSI), in partnership with Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360), has launched a new initiative called Gaming Literacy Aiding Decisions (GLAD), an innovative programme designed to assist educators in enhancing high school student gaming literacy and promoting that cohort’s responsible relationship with this ever more socially prevalent activity. The GLAD curriculum will initially launch in New Jersey and Delaware where, this spring, RSI and IC360 have been working with educational districts on a speaker series and educator curriculum delivery. These initial efforts will help define success metrics and gather feedback to shape the programme’s future, which will ultimately be available to educators more broadly to curate the content that resonates best with students.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) has selected Caesars Entertainment as the Service Provider in the Windsor Casino procurement process. This is the final procurement process in the OLG’s land-based gaming modernisation initiative. Caesars Entertainment and its predecessor companies have partnered with the OLG to operate Caesars Windsor (fka. Casino Windsor) since the opening of the temporary facility in 1994. Caesars Entertainment will assume responsibility for gaming and non-gaming operations of the Windsor casino on behalf of the OLG under a 20-year operating agreement, which is expected to begin in 2026.

The post Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – May 12-18 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Casinos.com

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa Named Luckiest Casino in US by Casinos.com

Published

2 weeks ago

May 19, 2025

GamingAmericas.com

seminole-hard-rock-hotel-&-casino-tampa-named-luckiest-casino-in-us-by-casinos.com

With a 25.49% luck rate, Seminole Hard Rock Tampa topped the list thanks to glowing guest feedback, including frequent mentions of jackpots, hand pays and bonus wins. 50 reviews mentioned the word “jackpot,” and 19 even referenced a “hand pay.”

Casinos.com tracked keywords such as lucky, luck, won, winning, success, jackpot, hand pay, winner, bonus, profit to determine which U.S. casinos inspired the most winning moments among visitors.

“I hit 4 jackpots. I stayed one night. I had a blast. The machines are as loose as anywhere else,” wrote one Tripadvisor reviewer, noted Casinos.com, capturing the essence of why the casino landed in the No. 1 spot.

“We’ve always known this was a lucky casino, but it’s exciting to see that recognized through data-driven research. It’s a testament to the vibrant energy on our casino floor and the unforgettable experiences we strive to create for every guest,” said Steve Bonner, President of Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa.

The ranking reinforces Seminole Hard Rock Tampa’s reputation as one of the premier gaming and entertainment destinations in the US. Seminole Hard Rock Tampa was not involved in the study and was unaware of it until the results were publicly released.

Over the past year, Seminole Hard Rock Tampa has paid out nearly 839,000 jackpots totaling more than $2.45 billion, continuing to deliver thrilling high-stakes gaming. Since May 1, 2024, the casino resort has awarded 375 jackpots of $100,000 or more, amounting to an impressive $61 million in winnings. Notably, 47 of those massive wins stemmed from bets of $5 or less and nine came from wagers of $3 or less.

Seminole Hard Rock Tampa offers a fully integrated casino experience with a sleek, modern design and welcoming atmosphere of 245,000 square feet of gaming space and entertainment. With 5230 of the hottest slot machines and a full range of table games such as poker, blackjack and baccarat, there is no shortage of opportunities to win. Additionally, guests can enjoy live craps, roulette, and sports betting at their leisure.

The post Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa Named Luckiest Casino in US by Casinos.com appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.