September A Record Month for Indiana Sports Betting

September was a record-setting month for Indiana sports betting. The Hoosier State saw record-highs in total handle, mobile handle, revenue and state taxes, thanks to the return of the NFL regular season and college football.

Indiana’s September handle was $355.4 million, up 64.8% from August’s $215.6 million and up 71.3% from September 2020’s $207.5 million. The previous single month sports betting handle high came in January 2021 when the state took in $348.2 million in bets.

Adjusted gross sports betting revenue was $33.8 million in September, an increase of 63.5% from August’s $16.5 million and up 82.5% from September 2020’s $14.3 million. The previous record for revenue also came in January 2021 when the state reported $29.3 million.

September’s sports wagering tax was $3.2 million, up 104.9% from August’s $1.6 million and was an increase of 137.2% from September 2020’s $1.4 million. The previous record was January 2021’s $2.8 million.

Indiana’s total September casino win was $206.6 million, down 1.3% from August’s $209.3 million. Taxable AGR for gaming was $189.3 million, a decrease of 0.6% from August’s $190.4 million.

Neighboring Ohio, which doesn’t have sports betting, saw its gaming revenue drop in September by 4.6%.

Ameristar Highest Handle

Ameristar Casino recorded the highest handle in Indiana for September with $138.4 million. DraftKings Sportsbook was responsible for $130.4 million of the overall handle, while $5 million came from retail bets and $3.1 million was from theScore.

Blue Chip Casino was second with $78.1 million. FanDuel Sportsbook is partnered with Blue Chip and took in $77.2 million in bets.

BetMGM was the third biggest operator for the month and is partnered with Belterra Casino. BetMGM recorded $37.1 million in handle for September.

William Hill and Harrah’s Hoosier Park was fourth with $30.7 million in sports bets. Barstool Sportsbook rounded out the top five, taking in $16.1 million in wagers. Both Barstool and PointsBet are partnered with Hollywood Lawrenceburg. PointsBet took in $11 million in bets.

Hard Rock Casino has been operating in Gary since May but it does not take sports bets at this time.

Mobile Bets Dominate Market

Indiana residents have made it clear they prefer to place their bets online. The state has 11 casinos that feature online sports betting, retail sportsbooks or both. Just like in August, 92% of all bets in Indiana were placed online during September. The total mobile handle for the month was $326.6 million, up 63.5% from August’s $200 million and 82.5% higher than September 2020’s $179 million. The previous record of $303.1 million took place in January 2021.

A surge in sports betting activity was expected with the NFL and college football regular seasons in full swing. October should produce similar results with the NHL and NBA starting their seasons, along with the MLB playoffs continuing.