Following the launch of retail sports betting in Indiana on September 1, the big question that has been swirling around over the past several weeks was when mobile betting would arrive to the state.
The Indiana Gaming Commission had some big news Wednesday, finally announcing a date for the official start of digital wagering on the territory of the state.
Indiana gaming regulators authorized on Wednesday French Lick Casino and its betting partner Rush Street Interactive to start offering mobile athletic wagering on October 3. The launch of French Lick’s digital betting operation will mark the long-anticipated beginning of mobile betting in the state.
French Lick announced its partnership with Rush Street Interactive, the online sports betting and gaming division of casino operator Rush Street Gaming, earlier this year. The casino debuted a Rush Street-powered retail sportsbook on September 6, just a day after the start of professional football.
Indiana gaming officials said Wednesday that Rush Street Interactive has “substantially demonstrated” that its mobile sports betting operation meets the state’s requirements.
The soon-to-be-launched mobile betting operation will offer all types of sports betting that are already available at French Lick Casino’s retail sportsbook, including straight bets, parlays, totals, and in-game betting. Bettors will be able to place wagers on football, basketball, hockey, college sports, and soccer, among a number of other sports.
Mobile Betting Requirements
Bettors must be 21 years or older in order to be able to place wagers via desktop and mobile devices, under Indiana’s sports gambling law. They will also be required to provide personal identifying information in order to be able to open accounts on a digital betting platform. That information may include part of a social security number, a birth date, an email address, and a credit or debit card number.
As other states where digital sports betting is legal, Indiana, too, will deploy geo-fencing technology in order to ensure that bets are only placed from within the state’s borders.
The start of mobile betting was a highly anticipated major step in Indiana’s sports betting effort. States going live with digital wagering are hoping to duplicate New Jersey’s success and Indiana is no different. Mobile betting turned into a real game-changer in the Garden State where mobile wagers account for more than 80% of all bets.
Indiana regulators originally hoped to be able to authorize the start of mobile betting along with the launch of retail sportsbooks, but then opted for a two-tiered approach, first focusing their attention on retail wagering and then shifting to digital betting.
At present thirteen locations around the state are authorized to provide retail sports betting. It is to be seen whether the Indiana Gaming Commission will authorize more mobile sportsbooks ahead of the October 3 launch of French Lick and Rush Street Interactive’s operation.
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