In October many Hoosiers will become sports betting app users. Indiana online sportsbooks are set to launch in mere weeks.

Including both desktop and mobile betting apps for connected devices, online books connected to Indiana casinos will offer bettors new options and accessibility. The result could be a boom in revenue.

Indiana mobile sportsbooks awaiting administrative approval

At the end of August, Indiana Gaming Commission executive director Sara Gonso Tait commented about the rollout of Indiana online sports betting:

We have received mobile-related materials and submissions. We’ve had some things happen as related to mobile that are essential. GeoComply is now a licensed supplier, which is huge. The emergency rules already contemplate mobile. We’re all focused on retail right now, but we’ll be able to very quickly shift to mobile once that’s requested.

Now that retail sportsbooks in Indiana are open, that frees Tait and others to focus on approving the framework needed for mobile betting. While the emergency rules would suffice, as Tait pointed out, the IGC likely prefers a more permanent framework.

Once that framework is available, it’s simply a matter of getting the infrastructure in place. That’s something Indiana sportsbooks are already working on.

Indiana sportsbooks is ready for online sports betting

Some of the prominent national mobile sportsbooks already have some skin in the game. Their partnerships with Indiana casinos give them a market share in the state.

FanDuel Sportsbook is a mobile operator that Indiana residents and visitors should expect soon. Through its partnership with Boyd Gaming, FanDuel should be accepting wagers from Indianans next month.

Several other brands could operate in the state through their partnership with Penn National Gaming.

Penn, which operates the Ameristar in East Chicago and the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, has a market access deal with four operators for Indiana.

Each casino gets three skins, which gives Penn a total of six permits to distribute. The priority order for those skins is as follows:

1. The Stars Group (FoxBet)
2. theScore and PointsBet
3. DraftKings

Fortunately for those operators, Indiana law doesn’t require the skins to be co-branded. That means the apps and sites will appear exactly as they do in other states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

When the Majestic Star casinos rebrand to Hard Rock, it’s likely they will offer online betting, as well. In fact, Hard Rock was recently approved for its casino license which included plans for a Sportsbook. The Hard Rock Casino in New Jersey has a mobile sportsbook.

It will be some time before that becomes an option for Indianans, however. That gaming facility in Gary isn’t slated to open until New Year’s Eve 2020.

As other books could go live as early as next month, it’s important for potential users who are Hoosiers to keep a few things in mind.

What to know when mobile betting in Indiana goes live

Although the law doesn’t require bettors to register in person as other states do, the bettor must still be physically within the borders of the state to place bets. That doesn’t stop bettors from neighboring states to cross the border into Indiana to place a wager. The apps and sites will use geolocation services to ensure a bettor is inside the state line.

Registration may be done online, but bettors must still prove they are over 21 years of age. The odds will be identical to those available at physical sportsbooks, as will the types of action available.

Online sports betting in Indiana could be available before Halloween, and if the increase in activity is anything like it has been in other states, the holiday will be anything but scary.

Lede image by Derek Helling on Twitter.