Bet365, one of the world’s biggest online sports betting and casino brands, officially announced its launch in the American state of Indiana, in partnership with the French Lick Resort.
Bet365 was founded in 2000 as part of the complete online gaming offering from British company Bet365 Group Ltd. The company’s operations include a great variety of casino, poker, sports, skill and bingo games.
Indiana became the eighth state in which Bet365 managed to expand in the United States, following launches in Kentucky, Louisiana, Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey, Iowa and Colorado.
The company issued a statement through a spokesperson, promising players in Indiana “market leading offerings like amazing Bet Boosts, the fastest In-Game product and unique Same Game Parlays.”
The statement acknowledged that the state of Indiana is the home of the very first professional basketball game in the United States and that sports fans in this region are “renowned for their passion and loyalty.”
In December 2023, the Indiana sports betting industry reported adjusted gross revenue of 50.6 million dollars, a new monthly record for the state, while the handle went up to 503.1 million dollars, the second highest monthly amount since the state opened its legal sports betting market in September 2019.
Support for Online Casinos in Indiana
The state of Indiana still does not allow online casinos to operate legally within its boundaries, but that might change sooner rather than later as more and more entities support the legalization process.
In fact, a report commissioned by the Indiana Gaming Commission and conducted by Spectrum Group has found that the iGaming industry in the state could be able to generate revenue of up to 2.1 billion dollars over the first three years after legalization.
The study has also indicated that iGaming tax revenue over the first three years following legalization could amount to 929 million dollars for the state of Indiana. That prediction also represents a 5 percent increase on the estimations made in the previous report.
The introduction of legal online gambling has been discussed for quite some time in Indiana, with opponents claiming that online casinos would affect the activity of the land-based casinos in the state. However, the report sustains that iGaming did not have a negative impact on the more traditional forms of gaming in other American states where it was successfully introduced.
Source: “Bet365 Announces Official Launch in Indiana“. European Gaming. February 1, 2024.