Isle of Man-headquartered, SBTech, has entered the state of Indiana, having launched its on-site sportsbook at Rising Star Casino in Randolph Township under Churchill Downs Inc’s (CDI) BetAmerica brand.
The Midwestern state is the sixth in which the award-winning global provider of sports betting technology and solutions has opened a sportsbook within 18 months’ time. It is also the third sportsbook to open in the Greater Cincinnati Tri-State Area, which includes counties in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana around the Ohio city of Cincinnati.
Ben Douglas, the riverboat casino and hotel‘s general manager, led the ribbon-cutting ceremony where a handful of former Cincinnati Bengals players placed the first bets at the new BetAmerica Sports Book.
Expected benefits:
Douglass commented on the opening…
“We are excited to be able to offer sports betting to our guests here at Rising Star. The sports betting industry is expected to provide Indiana with hundreds of new jobs as well as an additional $150 million in annual state tax revenue over the next five years.”
After in May this year, Indiana Governor, Eric Holcomb signed a wide-ranging piece of gaming legislation, on September 1, 2019, The Hoosier State became the 12th state with legal sports betting, after just days before, the Indiana Gaming Commission voted to approve sports wagering regulations. At that time, 11 of the 13 state-regulated casinos and all three of its off-track betting parlors received temporary sports betting licenses.
President of SBTech US, Melissa Riahei, said, “We are very excited to be entering the great state of Indiana. Our on-property sportsbook product has been extremely successful to date, and we look forward to replicating that success for Rising Star Casino, in partnership with Churchill Downs,” according to the official press release.
Established presence:
Also commenting on the opening was Ian Williams, President of on-line gaming for Churchill Downs Inc., who said…
“We are thrilled to be working with SBTech and Rising Star Casino to bring the BetAmercia sportsbook to Indiana. Using SBTech’s superior technology platform and innovative products, we have established a strong foothold in several states, and look forward to continuing our growth in partnership with SBTech.”
Hoosiers are able to bet on a variety of global sporting events at the 3,000 sq ft sportsbook, which i 7BALL CC s located within a one-hour drive from Cincinnati and within two hours of Indianapolis and Louisville. Twenty-three events were approved by the Indiana Gaming Commission for sports betting, including NFL, MLB, NBA, MMA, motorsports, soccer and many more. Also included are professional leagues and NCAA Division I sports.
On-site book:
Games are broadcast on 30-plus TV screens and players can place their bets at one of 16 state-of-the-art automated betting kiosks, or a window with trained sportsbook staff. The facility will also reportedly feature a full bar.
In a separate agreement, BetAmerica will, subject to gaming license approvals, offer online sports wagering across the state of Indiana. The agreement with Rising Star’s owner, Las Vegas-based Full House Resorts, additionally allows the brand to offer online sports wagering in Colorado after its recent legislation approval, along with a retail sportsbook at its Bronco Billy’s Casino and Hotel in Cripple Creek.
“We are excited to deliver a state-of-the-art sports wagering product to the residents of Indiana,” said Chief Executive Officer for CDI, Bill Carstanjen, “Our experience as the leader in online wagering in the US will enable us to offer our customers the very best mobile and in-venue sports betting experience,” according to CDI’s Tuesday news release.
Substantial uptick:
New data (pdf) from the Indiana Gaming Commission shows that the state saw $91.7 million in mobile and retail wagers in October, just the second month of legal sports gambling. More than half of the money wagered was done so via one of the three mobile sportsbooks that have launched in the state.
Over $39.3 million was taken in by DraftKings‘ mobile sportsbook alone last month, while Chicago-based Rush Street Interactive‘s online sportsbook took in more than $6.2 million throughout October, and $2.3 million-plus was taken in by FanDuel’s sportsbook, according to the data.
On October 3, regulated mobile sports betting began in Indiana, with the wagering mobile apps only permitted to operate within state borders.
Legal sports betting is not offered in the neighboring states of Ohio or Kentucky, however, both have bills in the works.
